


Years of Science

by Pineflower



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, College AU, F/F, Fighting, It is not exact to the original but follows a preset plot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, There will be violence later on, This is based of a fic that ended about a year ago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2018-12-09 19:58:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11676033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineflower/pseuds/Pineflower
Summary: Junior year at her college was tough to begin with, but when Chell gets a new roommate named Gladys, things get a bit more confusing. Spending time with her companion will be the only way to see if they actually get along or if things will fall apart.An old roleplay written as a fic.





	1. Chapter 1

Three knocks almost sent Chells head flying towards her desk.

The quiet dorm room had been silent so the sharp clicks at the door were plenty to snap Chell out of the stupor she had fallen into. She sat at the edge of her desk, papers covering every inch of the table and the floor around where she sat. Forgotten coffee sat off to the side. Textbooks for multiple different subjects were wide open to various areas. For a moment, Chell could only stare blankly at all of her abandoned studies, trying to recall what she had been studying for to begin with. _How long was I out?_ The only thing that told her that yes, she was actually awake, was another set of harsh knocks on the door to her room.

Stumbling to her feet and around the circumference of papers, she made it to the door. _I’m not expecting anyone today, am I? I could of sworn that the room check was next week._ The doorknob was grasped onto, both to be opened and to support the exhausted college student as she greeted whoever was on the other side.

A tall woman with a straight posture and an intimidating gaze that could freeze most people in place stood there with an impatient expression. Snowy hair was cut cleanly, the length being to her jaw line with bangs covering her forehead. The clothes she wore were pressed black pants and a white turtleneck, not what most would expect to see for a college student. Golden eyes pierced through Chells skin like fire and she could already tell that she was being judged for her appearance. Messy hair in a rat’s nest of a ponytail, dark circles under her eyes, simple pajamas that she hadn’t bothered to change out of. After studying for so long for multiple things simultaneously, Chell didn’t care herself. A cup of coffee would keep her going long enough. Looks could wait.

The woman in the hall looked over Chell, before meeting eyes. Gold against silver.

“…I’m Gladys, your new roommate. Pleased to meet you.”

A hand left the suitcase nearby to brush white hair out of her eyes and Chell could already tell that this woman, Gladys, was anything but pleased. Wait…roommate? Chell looked back at the mess that was her side of the room and part of the other half. A vague memory of hearing someone say she’d be getting someone new in her dorm room came up and she gave a silent sigh. Of course that’s today. Turning back to the newcomer, Chell stepped out of the way while holding the door open.

“…come in.”

 

\---

 

The hurricane that was Chells notes was quickly picked up and thrown into different binders and paper trays, just to get out of the way for Gladys as she moved in. The taller woman had only one medium sized suitcase which contained enough clothes to fill only half of her small wardrobe and necessary things for the rock the college called a mattress. Other than a couple things for class and for hygiene, it seemed like Gladys didn’t own much or bring much with her.

Chell couldn’t blame her for not bringing much. She had been an orphan her whole life. Possessions, other than a few things she had gotten when she was younger, were few and far between. The only things on her side of the room were a couple posters from the school, her textbooks and papers and a small felt cube with a heart. Compared to Chell’s cool demeanor, the cube was a bit off putting. She thought it was cute.

It wasn’t a lot, but it’s all she had to help spruce up the tiny little dorm room. Now she had to share the space with her new roommate. Together, it didn’t seem like they had much at all unless you counted student loans.

As Gladys settled in, sorting out what little she had, Chell sat at the edge of her bed with the cold cup of coffee. All of her studying had been abandoned to observe her new roommate. So far though, the white haired woman seemed to give a cold shoulder. Whenever her golden eyes turned in Chell’s direction, the air grew heavier with tension. Chell wasn’t much of a talker. So while Gladys pushed her now empty suitcase under her bed, Chell continued to watch and see just what kind of person she’d live with for the rest of the year.

 “So are you going to stare at me all day like some sort of lunatic or are you going to get back to trying to stuff all that information into your skull?”

The voice was as cold as the gaze that glared from under waves of hair. Chell hadn’t known what to expect from this new companion, but insults were not it. Blinking in shock at just how harshly she had been spoken to, she met Gladys’s gaze with a frown.

“Yes, staring is considered very rude so stop doing it. You stay on your side of the room, I’ll stay on mine. We have a couple classes together on Tuesdays and Fridays so if you absolutely need notes, I will let you borrow them. I have no intentions of being your friend so as long as you don’t bother me or mess with my belongings, we’ll get along fine.”

Turning on her heel, Gladys strode off and left the room, leaving Chell to ponder if this new woman would be a good roommate for the rest of the year. The sarcasm left a bitter taste in Chells mouth and once she heard the door to their room shut, she let out a quiet grunt of irritation. _She just got here so what has she got stuck up her ass?_

Despite her mood taking a bad turn, she decided to try and get back to studying. Maybe her literature notes would help keep her mind off the interaction.

 

\---

 

The next morning, Chell got up to her 6 am alarm and shuffled across the room to the little kitchenette, turning on her lamp along the way. A pot was grabbed and held under the faucet before being poured into a nearby coffee maker. Going through the whole process on auto pilot of putting the beans in and waiting for it to brew, she barely noticed through half opened eyes that Gladys wasn’t in bed.

The earliest classes started at 8:30 so unless Gladys worked out or wanted to get more expensive coffee from a shop down the road, there wasn’t much she could do out at this hour. Chell shrugged. It didn’t seem like her roommate wanted anything to do with her so Chell didn’t bother trying to question where she went. _None of my business._

While the coffee dripped slowly into the glass pot and filled the room with the nutty aroma, Chell leaned against the counter with her head on a balled hand. Sunlight barely peaked over the horizon outside so the only light was from a tiny lamp nearby. The bulb flickered on occasion. Yawning, Chell let her eyes close while she waited here. She hated mornings. The only reason she got up at the crack of dawn was to go for a run on one of the schools treadmills. Had to stay fit and without a track team at the college, morning jogs were her main alternative. Afternoons were taken up by homework.

She’d drink a warm cup of coffee first to help wake up. This morning, while she was still half asleep and groggier than usual, it seemed like she’d need the drink more than ever.

“What are you doing.”

The sudden, harsh voice snapped Chell back into reality and she turned her eyes to stare at her roommate. An eyebrow was raised and a thumb pointed to the pot. _Take a wild guess_. A quick glance at Gladys revealed a similar set of clothes as yesterday and a small bag filled with organized folders which popped slightly out. She decided not to stare long, not wanting a repeat of yesterday. Gladys didn’t seem to notice the other woman looking her over and if she had, she didn’t care.

Slowly, Chell cleared her throat and responded to the white haired woman.

“Why are you up so early? Class doesn’t start for another couple hours.”

“Oh you’re going to speak finally.”

Chells lips turned down, but she barely reacted to that sentence. Most people knew she was a selective mute and plenty of people made fun of that fact. I don't have to respond to people. She just decided to speak to her roommate instead of ignoring her entirely. We might not be friends, but she’s still my roommate.

“Well, I’m going to go around the building and make sure I know where everything is. This is a rather large facility after all. I’d like to know where things are. Besides, I have better things to do then hang around here with you.”

She stared at Chell as if waiting for a reaction, before her eyes shot quickly to her bag as a ding came from it. A hand snatched out a cell phone and Chell watched as the Gladys’s cold golden eyes warmed slightly at whatever she had received. A text maybe?

After typing something in return, Gladys turned her attention back to Chell who had turned her attention away from her roommate to pour a cup of coffee. Nothing was said and the only noise was coffee splashing against the side of the mug. Finally, Chell looked back at Gladys, taking a long swig of the scalding black liquid.

“Well, I’ll see you in class. Don’t scald yourself with that coffee. …or do. I don’t care.”

Gladys turned and left the room without another word. Chell had to wonder where on earth she had been while she was making coffee. Walking across the room, she sat at her desk with cup in hand. Papers left out the night prior were grabbed with her free hand, straightened and put into a nearby bag along with a notebook. There was only one class today, English, which she apparently shared with her new roommate. It didn’t start for another couple hours though so her bag was tossed to the side. Might as well enjoy the morning and this cup of coffee. Two cups would be better.

I don’t think I’m going for a run today.

 

\---

 

They didn’t speak and sat across the room from each other for the whole class. Only once did Chell meet eye contact with her new roommate and even then, Gladys continued to give her a cold shoulder. It didn’t seem like they’d be getting along well.

Class was dull and after the 3 hours, Chell was happy for the period to finally be over. Standing, she felt a cold glare while she packed up her things. Her eyes turned up to meet gold right as Gladys passed with a bitter expression. Even despite not talking with her roommate, Gladys seemed to be in a bad mood.

Chell only sighed and finished packing up.

“…Who was she?”

A quiet voice came from behind her and slowly, she turned to stare down at a short man with a mess of black hair. He wore an oversized grey sweater and clutched the strap of a pink bag that was slung over a shoulder. Two silver eyes peered out from below strands of hair, giving a blank yet warm gaze.

“…New roommate. Gladys.”

“She doesn’t seem to like you.”

“Probably doesn’t.”

“Just try talking to her. Maybe give her a cup of coffee in the morning. I know how much you enjoy a pot of that stuff before class.”

Chell shrugged and picked up her own bag before turning back to the man.

“I’ll think about it Dennis. Thanks though.”

Dennis nodded and after adjusting his bag, he turned to leave the now empty lecture room. The sound of ticking from the clock on the wall seemed to mix with Chells breathing as she took a minute. Finally, she brushed her bangs out of her face and headed for the doorway. The shorter man had waited for her and they walked down the hallway together in silence. Neither of them were big talkers, but they enjoyed the company. It also gave her some time to think.

While Gladys had been anything but friendly since her arrival the afternoon prior, there had to be a reason. Maybe it was due to transferring in so late through the first semester of her junior year. Or there’s the possibility that she left someone behind that was important to her. Chell hated digging into personal affairs, but the more she thought, the more she realized that her bitter roommate was actually rather mysterious. Almost intriguing.

Maybe I’ll take up Dennis’s idea on offering coffee and trying to talk to her. Can’t hurt. I can live through any insults that she could possibly think of.

Finally parting with her companion, she pushed open the doors that led through a courtyard.  The school had three old brick buildings, the main building and the two dorms which were all connected by a large courtyard. It felt like a small little park in the middle of a city. With the buildings surrounding the area, it wasn’t hard to feel like that. There was a path linking buildings and bushes lining it. A bench sat looking over a small little pond. Trees, leaves turning orange and red with the season, spotted the area.

Slowly striding down the path, Chell took a deep breath of the fall air. It was nice to get out of the stuffy, crowded halls and out to a little slice of nature. Glancing at the bench, she was surprised to see a bob of white hair. Gladys.

She sat there, tapping away on her phone with a rather bored expression on her face. With how Gladys had been treating her, Chell wanted nothing to do with her, but she knew that ignoring the problem wouldn’t fix it. So she moved down to the side of the bench, crunching leaves that had fallen and covered the ground.

“…Hey Gladys. You done for the day?”

Gladys hissed and shot up with a glare, the intensity of it only increasing at the sight of Chell. The phone was shut off and stuffed into the nearby bag.

“I thought I told you I didn’t want to be friends or anything. Are you also Dea-“

“Don’t use “Deaf” as an insult. Anyway, I’m going to the room and making some coffee. If you’re heading back there, please help yourself to some.”

It was short and to the point. Without any other words in her roommate’s direction, Chell moved back up to the path and headed across the courtyard to their dorm building. She didn’t want to deal with Gladys’s sass, but she at least offered the coffee.

This was going to be a long semester.


	2. Chapter 2

The next couple weeks went by in the same fashion. Whenever Gladys even bothered to glance in Chells direction, she also gave some snarky insult before ignoring her entirely. They didn’t feel like roommates. It was more along the lines of mortal enemies sharing a cell. Absolutely confining and rather uncomfortable when they were there at the same time.

Despite all the insults thrown at her, Chell never cracked, reacted or said something mean in return. She just grit her teeth and poured another cup of coffee. While Gladys never accepted the offer to have some of the brew, Chell could have sworn that the pot felt lighter on occasion.

After the first few failed attempts to try and get to know her roommate, Chell gave up. She’d rather just live in her own room in silence other than deal with rude remarks all the time. Though she was still curious about Gladys. The white haired woman was always dressed up like she was ready to become a manager and had her phone out 99% of the time. It was a curious thing. Chell had only seen Gladys smile one time and that was when she read something off the tiny screen. Maybe she has a lover.

Honestly with HER attitude, I doubt she’ll find someone to fall in love with her.

It was the second week of October and the dorms had gotten considerably colder. Frost caked the windows most mornings and Chell had trouble getting out of bed for her morning run. The warmth of her covers was too enticing. Yet every week day, she forced herself up at 6 to make coffee and go for a run. Sometimes Gladys was still in bed, sometimes she wasn’t.

It seemed that this morning, Gladys was already up when Chells alarm went off.

Slipping out of bed into the freezing room, she sat with her feet off the ground for a moment. The thin carpet didn’t do much to get rid of the chill. It seeped in through the window and every surface nearby. A sweater was snatched off her desk chair before she shuffled over to the coffee maker. Pouring beans into the grinder, she distantly heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. The shower. Gladys must be taking one to help warm up.

Sighing, Chell grabbed the sides of her sweater and pulled them tighter around her. The warmth of her comforter was already becoming more enticing, yet the sound of a ding on the counter made her attention turn away from her bed.

Gladys’s phone.

She hated prying, but with how secretive her roommate was, she couldn’t help but be curious about who it was Gladys was texting all the time. While the coffee brewed and with an ear ready to pick up the noise of the shower turning off, Chell slowly picked up the phone. It let out another ding and the screen lit up.

The background was white and the only thing of interest on the blank screen was a text notification which could be read without unlocking the phone.

[ **2 New Messages** ]  
[ **Caroline** : Morning Gladys.]  
[ **Caroline** : Don’t forget that I’m coming into town today for some supplies so I’ll see you at our usual café. I need to ask you some things.]

Chell tilted her head in a curious manner. Caroline? She didn’t know anyone by that name and from what she knew, Gladys didn’t have any close companions here at the school. She didn’t have much time to ponder before another ding came from the phone she held. Raising it back to eye level, she read another text that came in.

[ **Caroline** : And for the love of god, I don’t care about your excuses. Try to get along with your roommate.]

It was read with some surprise, but she couldn’t think it over right after reading it. The distant sound of the shower shutting off said that she was out of time. Dropping the phone in the same spot it had been, Chell returned to the coffee machine, which had finished filling the carafe. A mug was grabbed with an iron grip and Chells face grew blank as her roommate came out into the room. Last thing she needed was to be caught snooping. Yet it was interesting that this Caroline person knew about her and how she was treated. Maybe Gladys talks to her about me? Maybe she’s spreading some rumor. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Gladys passed by, glaring at Chell as she picked up her phone. For a moment, their gazes met, silver and gold, before turning back to their respective things. Taking a sip of the black coffee, Chell waited for Gladys to look over her messages and walk off before moving to her own desk to get papers together for later.

“….Did you touch my phone.”

She wanted to jump in shock, but Chell knew better than to do something that’d make her look guilty. So she slowly turned around in her chair, gripping her cup in one hand.

“…What?”

“Did you- no let me rephrase. WHY did you touch my phone? I see your grubby fat fingerprints on the screen. Were you snooping around and trying to see my personal information like some sort of freak?”

Snooping, yes. Chell couldn’t deny that she had gotten curious, but she had no intentions of going farther than to see who she had been texting. Even that was a tad far. Yet to prevent being yelled at anymore than usual, Chell just shook her head and took another swig of coffee.

“I just moved it. I didn’t want to accidentally set anything on it and scratch it up.”

Not the truth. Not a lie either.

Gladys scoffed, but seemed satisfied by the answer enough to leave Chell alone. At least for the rest of the morning, Chell had some peace and quiet.

\---

Gladys had vanished for the rest of the day, only returning to the room long after Chell had gone to bed. The room was dark and the only light came from the sliver of moon out the window. A light tapping of rain on pavement was barely heard, yet was enough to say what the world outside was like.  

Chell wasn’t asleep, but when she heard the door slowly open and quietly click shut, she forced herself to look like she wasn’t up. Just listen to what Gladys did while regulating her breathing patterns.

She knew that her roommate had left to go to a café and meet with “Caroline”, but prodding too deep wasn’t something she wanted to do. This was a hole of information she had one foot in. Any more digging could end up with her way over her head in information she didn’t need. ‘Curiosity killed the cat.’ Chell thought.

‘Yet satisfaction brought it back.’

She couldn’t help but be curious about Gladys. The woman was a bundle of questions with answers hidden from view. Questions were obvious and came often. The answers weren’t as easily given. For now, her main question was why Gladys was back as late as she was. Gladys had gone out early that morning to meet up with her mysterious companion and it was well past midnight by the time she returned. An eye opened and attempted to adjust and see any movement through the darkness.

The room was still except for the occasional shift of a figure that stood in the doorway. They stood there in silence till a quiet clink came from the kitchen behind them. Ears adjusting, Chell realized there was a second set of footsteps. Turning, the figure moved into the dark kitchen and out of Chells line of sight, yet she could still vaguely hear what was going on. A conversation between the voice she knew as her roommate and someone else.

“Go home Caroline.”

“Oh come on--- not leaving until you tell me just what you’re plan---and besides you and I are---“

“What happens between--- is NONE of your concern. Besides, I’m doing--- Come back when it’s not 1 in the morning.”

“It’s mine and its---“

There was a familiar, agitated hiss from Gladys, a noise that Chell had grown accustomed to over the time they spent living together. “That doesn’t matt--- You can tell him to bite me.”

“Tell that to Cave yourself.”

“Good NIGHT.”

Chell could only pick up bits and pieces of the conversation, but before she could investigate, the sound of the front door closing reached her ears. Caroline was gone. Chells eyes shot closed when Gladys re-entered the main room and headed over to her own side.  A creaky bed frame was all that told Chell where her roommate was.

Moments passed and the silence of the night became suffocating, but Chell forced her breathing to remain calm and slow to continue the façade of being asleep. It must have fooled Gladys though because she let out an agitated groan, before mumbling out a stream of words under her breath.

“I can’t believe she is trying to mess with my relationships. I know who I want to get to know and who I shouldn’t trust Caroline. You and Cave need to stop butting into my affairs.”

Cave, another new name with no face to connect with it. Gladys was throwing more mysteries her way and Chell had plenty of questions with no answers. Who were these people? Who was Gladys? They had been roommates for almost a month and yet Chell didn’t know the woman at all. It was all vague ideas of what the woman was actually like when not around her. A bunch of blurry ideas created from various, random information was all Chell had to go off of.

While she was curious and wished to ponder over these new questions, her mind had been on the edge of unconsciousness for too long. Pretending to be asleep was actually making her nod off. With the lack of any external stimulus, Chells mind quickly drifted off into slumber, her thoughts coming to a standstill.

Figuring out who these people were could wait till morning.

\---

“I need a favor.”

The Saturday morning was cold, wet and more overcast then the day before. Rain tapped against the windows and cool light lay outside.  It was a perfect day to stay in comfy clothes, turn on a space heater and stay under the blankets. Yet, Chell had a feeling she couldn’t have a day to herself. Surprised at Gladys’s words, she looked up from a book she had been reading.

“…A favor?”

“I didn’t stutter, did I? I…” Gladys sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head like what she was going to say was the world’s most important news. “…I need you to help me make this room look as nice as possible and you need to be here, I will not stress this enough, NEED to be here tomorrow at noon. I doubt you’ll even leave, knowing how lazy you are when there’s no class, but who knows. We need to tidy things up around here and in the kitchen. Oh and wear something other than the same shirt. …How long have you worn that shirt for?!”

Chell could have gone without the insulting about staying in over the weekends, but ignored it and nodded none the less. Just get through the conversation without showing any reactions to the harsh words. The last question was avoided.

“Why the urgency? What’s going on tomorrow?”

Gladys’s face lightened up some and she lost some of the usual irritation towards Chell. Whatever it was seemed to be important to her.

“Two people, one of which I will most likely work for, are coming here to chat about some things. I told them about you and they keep saying they’d like to meet you. That’s why you need to be here so I can get them to stop complaining about me never letting them come over here.”

“Two? “

“Yes, two people. Just wear a nice shirt and comb out what you call your hair. They’re just coming here to check on me and the room, as well as to be acquainted to you. Just don’t screw things up and actually say more than one word.”

While she was trying to make jabs at Chell, it was obvious that her whole heart wasn’t in it. Tomorrow must be a very important time for her if the insults were half-assed with little hostility in it.

“…Okay. I will. Can you at least tell me who is coming?”

“Hmm?” Gladys had turned away to leave, only to stop and glance back at Chell. Her gold eyes seemed to be thoughtful, but slowly, she gave an answer.

“They’re both important figures in the world of science and that’s why I need you to make a very good first impression. Cave Johnson, CEO of Aperture Science-“

“That huge lab just a few miles out of town? Woah... you have some friends in high places.” Chell couldn't help but be incredibly shocked at that name. It was well known around town since Aperture was a local facility. The sole fact that Gladys knew the man running the machine was super impressive.  
  
Gladys scoffed and smirked, seeming to know that she had some powerful connections.

“But of course I do. It’ll be him and his secretary.

Her name is Caroline.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chell was forced up far too early for her liking. Her roommate insisted that they get an early start on putting things away before Cave and Caroline got there around noon. Chell insisted that starting at 6 was too early and went back to bed for another half hour.

The room was cleaned till the kitchen tiles shined, the tables were clear of all papers and dirty clothes were thrown either in baskets or out of sight. Beds were made and desks were de-cluttered. The barely used vacuum came out to pick up anything hiding in the thin brown carpet. Compared to the day Gladys moved into the room, the whole space looked nice when they finished. Nothing was out of place. After running another thorough check of the room, Gladys nodded in a pleased manner.

“Much better. I’m going to make a pot of coffee, but they should be here within the next half hour or so. Get yourself cleaned up. I’ll keep an eye on the door.”

Gladys was already in clothes that were somehow nicer than her usual attire. Chell on the other hand, was still in pajamas. Dusting sucked as it was. Might as well do chores in comfy clothing. So before Gladys had a fit, Chell slipped into the bathroom to change into the nicest clothes she had. She wasn’t as uptight as Gladys about looking nice in front of people, but she knew who they were meeting. Even she didn’t want to look bad in front of Cave Johnson.

Putting on clean pants, a white undershirt with a nice orange jacket, she stared at herself in the mirror. Compared to Gladys’s elegance, Chell didn’t look that great, but she didn’t mind. I look fine. As long as her appearance satiated Gladys’s irritation towards her, she’d be fine. After a moment of looking at herself in the mirror, she pulled her hair out of its normal ponytail and let it sit over her shoulders. There we go.

When she stepped out into their little living room and kitchen combo, she was greeted with an obviously stressed Gladys. The white haired woman paced back and forth while the coffee slowly brewed. A nervous air fell off her shoulders, making the room more tense then it needed to be. Chell couldn’t help but stare at the sight.

That was one thing Gladys had barely shown during their time together. Emotion. It was always irritation or almost nothing at all. Now Gladys looked like she was stressed beyond belief and that everything around her would crash down at the slightest move. And that stress began to seep to Chell.

Knocks at the door were much more surprising then they both expected.

Chell let out a quiet hiss and Gladys jumped, almost falling forward on the way to the door. While Chell waited for Gladys to let their guests in, she smoothed her shirt down and checked the coffee carafe to make sure there would be enough. Being stressed wasn’t something she was often, but it was rubbing onto her because of Gladys.

Time seemed to slow down as Gladys opened the front door. The two people they were expecting stood there and after a pause, a woman stepped forward with a smile. She was about the same height as Gladys with brown hair and warm chestnut eyes. A white and pink scarf around her neck was adjusted.  “Hello!”

Gladys’s shoulders suddenly un-tensed and she gave a rare smile in return.

“Hello Caroline. Good afternoon Mr. Johnson.”

She greeted the man behind Caroline. He was taller with light brown hair combed back and wore a business suit that was rather out of place compared to the rest of the people in the room. One look at him said he was arrogant and self-centered, but no one dared point out the obvious.

“Please Gladys! You can call me Cave. No need for formalities when I’m in your home! Now if you work for me once you’re done here at the college, then you can call me Mr. Johnson.”

Pushing his way into the small room, Cave looked around at the scene before his gaze settled on Chell. She hadn’t bothered coming to the door, only staying by the coffee pot and waiting for the two guests to enter.

“Oh, you must be Chell! I’d say I’ve heard a lot about you, but I really haven’t. I’m Cave Johnson! I’m the CEO of Aperture Laboratories just a few miles from here!” He strode over, closing the space between them in seconds and grabbing her hand with a tight grip. After a couple shakes, he dropped her hand and gestured back to the woman he came with.

“And this lovely lady is my assistant Caroline. She’s the backbone of Aperture. Without her help, I’d be way over my head. She’s the best person I could ask to help do science! Isn’t that right Caroline?”

Caroline, who had been speaking with Gladys off to the side, looked up from her conversation and gave a warm, eager grin. “Yes Sir Mr. Johnson!”

Cave laughed and nodded in a pleased manner. “Ha ha…She is a gem.”

Turning his attention back to Chell, he continued to ramble on about his successes in the scientific world and about the numerous awards he’d won. It was a nonstop ramble. His chattering and overbearing personality was too much and Chell couldn’t get a word in.

Eventually, she was saved by her roommate and Caroline who called out to Cave to come sit down.

“Sir! Why don’t you sit down and stop ranting to just her. Poor girl looks like she’s about to collapse!”

“She’ll collapse in awe at my accomplishments-“

“Sir.”

Cave huffed and combed through his hair with a hand. “Alright alright! Before I leave you be though-“ He leaned down to meet eyes with Chell and she leaned back against the counter to get slightly away from him. “Would you happen to have anything to drink? I swear I’ve been able to smell coffee since I walked in the door!”

One thing was certain. Chell knew about what Cave Johnson had done and honestly, he was one of her long time role models. She certainly hadn’t expected him to be such an egoist. At least he gave credit where it was due. Already, it was obvious Caroline did a lot for Aperture.

After satiating his need for a drink with a cup of the brew they had made, Chell and Cave joined the other two at the table.

Caroline, who was sitting beside Gladys, gave another gentle smile to Chell once she sat. They faced each other and already, a warming feeling grew from being around her. Despite only just meeting, Chell liked Caroline. She seemed sweet. How she put up with Cave’s attitude was a mystery all in itself.

“So you’re Chell! Pleased to meet you! Again, I’m Caroline. I’ve heard quite a bit about you these past few weeks!”

The woman reached across the table to gently shake hands with Chell. Compared to Cave’s grip of iron, Carolines hands were soft and warm. Despite the tense air of sitting beside a major CEO, Chell relaxed because of Caroline. She already liked her more.

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Oh, you DO speak!”

Chell flinched at Caves overbearing words, huffing in mild irritation.

“Sir! Don’t be rude! Some people just don’t like talking as much as others. No need to yell at her.” Caroline turned her attention back to Chell. “My apologies. He can be a bit… energetic when meeting new people. “

A shrug was given in return before Gladys butted into the conversation.

“So, how have your projects been going Cave?”

The man brushed down his suit before raising a hand and loudly telling Gladys about multiple projects. Gladys commented occasionally and Caroline made sure to give her input about the work when Cave wasn’t taking up the spotlight. Already, Chell was exhausted. She had promised Gladys to be here today, but the interactions were draining and she wasn’t contributing to the conversation. Really, she was barely paying attention at all.

“…Are you alright Chell?”

Her silver eyes shot up from the spot they had been blankly staring at, meeting the worried gaze of Caroline.

“Ah yeah…I’m fine. I love science, but I feel like these are not conversations I can be part of.”

Caroline nodded. “I understand. We can move onto other things then. I think we’ve talked about everything that isn’t a company secret. …Why don’t you tell me something about you! I said I’ve heard things about you, but Gladys doesn’t like getting to know other people so it’s a lot of speculated things instead of real information.”

Gladys hissed in irritation, but was ignored by the brown haired secretary. For a moment, Chell just stared and tried to think of things about herself that were interesting. Cave and Gladys seemed like the type of people to use information against others, yet Caroline gave her a sense of peace. A feeling of trust.

“Well…I’ve been an orphan since I was 6. Parents left me on a doorstep. Never was adopted, but eventually decided that I wouldn’t spend my life on the streets or wandering from place to place. Worked to get money for college so I could study various sciences, since I always enjoyed that subject in school.”

“Science is a fantastic topic! Gladys is going to be a Genetics Major so you’re both in the science boat!”

There was a nod at Caroline’s interjection. After a moment’s speculation on what to say next about herself, Chell continued.

“According to everyone I’ve met, I’m the most tenacious person they’ve met. Um…I run. Used to be on a track team and my legs are fairly fit.”

After listing off a few more things, she stopped, deciding to not ramble on more than necessary. Gladys seemed bored, Caroline looked genuinely intrigued, and Cave almost looked interested. Like he had something on his mind. Yet he didn’t speak of anything of immense interest afterwards.

Since no one had continued the conversation, Chell finally decided that it was no or never to ask some questions that had been on her mind since she took a quick look at Gladys’s texts.

“So Caroline. How did you and Cave meet Gladys?”

Caroline stared, a shocked expression growing on her face. Her eyes narrowed and shot an oddly cold glance in Gladys’s direction. The white haired woman had shifted nervously at the question and the glare.

“You… you didn’t tell her? Come on Gladys, that’s a bit rude!”

“She didn’t need to know!” Gladys snapped back.

“Didn’t- Gladys, she is your _roommate_. I know that you don’t like getting to know people or opening up, but this is the person who you will be living with for the rest of the year. You can’t move rooms. This was the last one open because you transferred in later. This is the only person you will see on a constant basis.”

Compared to her gentle tone that she had been using since her arrival, Caroline’s voice was now harsher and agitated towards the woman next to her. Gladys slowly shrunk down in her chair, face growing gloomier by the second.

Seeing emotion on Gladys’s face was weird. Just unnatural.

Cave was quietly snickering, but remained quiet so Caroline could speak and explain.

“I’m sorry if there was any confusion about who I am. Yes, I am Mr. Johnson’s secretary and I have been for quite some time. Him and Gladys only met about 3 years ago. When it comes to me and Gladys’s relationship…well…

I’m her sister.”

For a moment, everything was silent. Chell could only stare in shock, mouth slightly agape at the news. Sisters?! Caves chuckling slowly returned and Caroline continued to glare at Gladys, who had avoided everyone gaze entirely.

“Yep. Gladys here is my little sister. Not by much, only a couple years mind you. She must not have told you about me cause she probably thought it’d be embarrassing.”

“Caroline…”

“See?” Caroline’s attitude slowly warmed back up and she laughed alongside Cave.

Chell could only stare at them all, barely able to sputter words out and finally giving up on trying to say anything in response. Gladys and Caroline were siblings. It made sense in context, but it was still shocking to put it lightly. Part of her almost felt offended. Gladys hadn’t been friendly in the slightest since she arrived, but it still stung to know that Gladys hadn’t even bothered to mention something like who Caroline was in connection to her.

The rest of their time was spent with some idle chatter, questions about how things at the school were going, and small things about one another. Chell had decided to not talk much after speaking about herself, and instead decided to compare Gladys and her sister. Now that she knew their connection, the similarities were more obvious. They were both around the same height, just a tad shorter than Chell. Their eyes were the same shape, though Carolines eyes were a darker golden brown compared to Gladys’s bright yellow. Face shapes weren’t the same. Not everything could be a carbon copy.

Something odd was when she noticed small nervous habits that they both shared. That’s odd. Maybe it’s a genetic thing. Yet she saw them both glancing to the side as if looking for something coming. Caroline ran her thumb over her other fingernails. Gladys just looked more irritated than usual before relaxing slightly. They were habits that weren’t easily noticed unless someone was watching closely.

When a small beep of an alarm rang from Cave’s pocket, he pushed the chair back and stood, the 4th cup of coffee he had being set down. Chell was snapped out of her observation of the two siblings and looked up at the man in the suit.

“We need to get going. Science doesn’t stop for anyone! With such a big facility running, I need to go and make sure the control group isn’t screwing things up down there.”

Caroline nodded and stood up after him.

“Pleasure to meet you Chell! I hope that we can chat again some time. Oh…” She ran over to Cave to grab a scrap of paper and a pen, scribbling down something and handing it to Chell. “Here. My number, just in case you have any more questions or just want to talk. Gladys may not have introduced us the best, but I’d still like to get to know you!”

Gladys grumbled and waited for Cave and Caroline to go the door and leave. Once out, she grabbed the handle to close it, but it was swiftly jammed open.

“One more thing,” Cave spoke, making sure they could both hear him, “Aperture is in need of some more people. Since you’re both science majors here, I’d love for you to come and apply for positions at my facility. You’d both do well.”

He glanced back at Chell with an interesting gleam in his eye, before finally saying a goodbye and leaving the room to just Gladys and Chell. The silence returned, more overbearing than the silence from before their guests arrived.

Before they could move, Gladys snarled at Chell. “Just because you know who Caroline is and that you have more knowledge about me, doesn’t mean I’m going to be any more friendly to you. We’re not friends. Caroline may try to make us get closer, but I don’t want to know you. You don’t want to know me. You may be my roommate and you can ask some things, but my personal life is none of your damn concern. Got it?!”

In the time she had started to rant, Gladys had stormed over to Chell and held a finger up to her face in irritation. Chells normal, blank face returned and she met eye contact with her roommate. Yet underneath her calm eyes, she was deep in thought about something Gladys said.   
_“You don’t want to know me.”  
_ What is she hiding?

Yet Chell just sighed and bared through Gladys’s harsh temperament.

“Well?! Did you hear me or not?”

“…Loud and clear.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is mention of scars in this chapter.

Weeks came and past and the campus only grew colder. Leaves on the trees outside flew through different shades of orange before drying up and drifting to the ground below. Frost caking the windows in the morning became a common occurrence and Chell was not surprised to wake up one morning to see a thin layer of snow on the ground outside. Their room was on the second floor and the window gave a nice view of the entire courtyard that rested between the dorm and the class building. It was sunny and the whole area glittered like tiny lights. White and blue was a difference from the orange and brown that had been the campus for quite some time.

On this particular November morning, when Chell saw the snow outside, she decided that today was not going to be a good day to run. She had stuck to her schedule of running every morning at 6:30 for the past few weeks. A break today wouldn’t hurt.

Yet, despite the wish to stay in the room, Chell had an early class and forced herself to get into a warm coat and wrap a scarf tightly around her neck. Even the old dorms were warmer than outside. If it was this cold in here, it was likely to be freezing out there.

With a glance at her roommate who was still in bed, Chell snatched up her bag before leaving the room, trying her best to close the door as quietly as possible.

“OI! ELLO CHELL!”

She slammed the door the rest of the way at the voice. So much for closing the door quietly. Letting out a sigh, the bag was hoisted over her shoulder and her gaze turned to meet someone else’s as they approached.

It was a tall man, freckled with messy dirty blonde hair and eyes that were far too blue to be human. He gave a grin and waved at her when he got close. “Ey, so I saw that you were out now and since we share the same first class, I was wondering if you’d like to walk together! That’s alright, right? Since we’re, ya know, pals and stuff? Please? I know you like hanging with the ol’ Wheatley here!”

Chell liked Wheatley. His constant jabbering, not so much. After their first encounter their freshman year, Wheatley never bothered to try and get a hang of his nonstop jabber and Chell had finally decided to tone it out as white noise when it became less of a cohesive thought and more of a jumble of random things.

He reminded Chell of Cave in a way.

With a nod in his direction, she walked with the much taller man to their first class. The whole time, she listened to him rant about class, some friends of his and about how someone shattered his computer’s monitor.

“It was probably Rick! I swear! That bloody bastard can’t keep his hands to himself, all cause he thinks messing with MY belongings is an adventure! I always tell him that ‘OI, IT’S NOT YOUR STUFF!’, but does he listen? NOOOO. It’s madness!”

They finally reached the room in the other building and Wheatley parted ways with Chell, giving her a chance to breath before the class started.

The room slowly filled up with more students, most of them half asleep. Plenty of them remained by themselves. Some joined groups and chatted among themselves. Wheatley joined a couple others, a tall tan man with vibrant green eyes and a short man with fiery hair. Chell sat alone.

Luckily for her, it was one of her easier and shorter classes, so by noon, she was free for the rest of the day. Stretching back in her seat, she only glanced up when nearby movement caught her eye. A man in a pink sweater looked down at her with a calm expression.

“Hey there Chell.”

“Hi Dennis.”

He set his bag down at the edge of the table before sitting down and staring at Chell while the rest of the class filtered out at their own pace. They were silent for a bit, though it wasn’t overbearing or uncomfortable. Just a couple friends enjoying their company.

After a few moments, Dennis finally spoke, his voice quiet.

“How are things going with your roommate?”

“Gladys? They’re…going.”

“Not great huh. “

Chell sighed. That was something Dennis did, getting straight to the point. Yet he was a good listener and was a comforting presence so Chell didn’t mind the prying.

“…Yeah. Not great. I hoped that after I met her sister- I told you about Caroline- that she’d maybe open up some more, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen. If anything, she’s closing off more. The insults only happen once a day now.”

The last part was said with a sarcastic tone while she leaned her head against one hand. Her companion across the table slowly nodded and stared at Chell calmly.

“Well…Maybe you just need to find the right key to help her open up.”

\---

The door closed with a click behind her and Chell scanned the quiet room. Other than things a couple of objects on the counter, everything was in their normal places. It seemed like Gladys wasn’t here. Probably had a class.

After the talk with Dennis, Chell agreed that she did want to at least get to an understanding of Gladys. She wouldn’t push on topics that didn’t need to be revealed, but she wished to mend the strained relationship they had. While she wanted to contact Caroline and ask for advice on how to talk with Gladys or things that the white haired woman liked, she decided not to. This is my battle. I will figure things out myself. It’ll just take some time.

Striding through the room, she tossed her bag down beside her desk and turned to glance over the space again. From what she could tell, Gladys had been gone for quite some time. Everything was neatly put up on her side of the room, the bed was made, and her phone was off the charger. After a moment, she recalled Gladys’s schedule.  I know she doesn’t have class today. Maybe she’s meeting up with Caroline. If they’re sisters, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re meeting again.

It’s none of your business anyway.

That last thought was bitter and she sighed, pacing the room for a moment before entering the kitchen. She wished to know her roommate, but at the same time, she was tired of the treatment Gladys gave her. It made her not want to bother trying to make a relationship between them.

Yet if she didn’t try, who would.

After a minute of thinking, she decided that maybe a shower would help her get in a more productive mood. While class hadn’t fully drained her of motivation, she knew that she needed something to pick herself up before getting to work on midterm projects. And maybe she’d think up of some ideas on how to approach her roommate about mending their bonds. Classes first. Gladys later.

Walking back into the area that they called their room, Chell sat down and pulled off her boots that were still wet from the snow outside. Some clothes were snatched up before she headed back through the kitchen to the bathroom.

Deep in thought now, she barely paid any mind to the room around her. For all she knew, she was alone in the room. It was like she was on autopilot. Walk from point A to point B. She didn’t notice that the bathroom door, which was usually open when unoccupied, was shut.

Grabbing the handle, the bathroom door swung open and a hand reached up for the light switch only to realize it was already on. Snapping back to reality, Chell looked up into the bathroom to see Gladys standing there, golden eyes wide in a mixture of rage and horror.

Any other time, if Chell had walked in on someone half dressed, she’d be super embarrassed and quickly close the door. She’d laugh it off. It was an accident after all. Yet she couldn’t help but stare in shock at Gladys’s torso.

Her roommate wore pants and a bra so nothing showed, but what caught Chells attention wasn’t the fact that Gladys was half naked in front of her. It was the scars. Hundreds of scars. They weren’t self inflicted wounds, but scars from something external and Gladys was covered in them. All on her back, sides and arms lay intricate markings of various sizes, shapes and lengths.

She stared. She couldn’t help but stare and gape in shock at the sight of her roommate and what she had been hiding. Gladys let out a yell of absolute panic, running at Chell and shoving her back out of the room. The door was slammed and they were separated by a slab of wood.

“I- HAVEN’T YOU E-EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING?! YOU A-ABSOLUTE MO-MONSTER! WHAT IS W-W-WRONG WITH YOU?!”

Chell stared at the door, panic growing in her stomach. The realization of what she had just seen was hitting her and it was horrifying. Gladys yelled and yelled through the door, voice cracking the more she continued, which made it more obvious about how much this hurt her. Chell had just violated one of Gladys’s biggest secrets.

A hand rose to cover her mouth and she blinked in shock at what she just seen. Hundreds of scars. HUNDREDS. None of them were fresh from what she had seen, but it was still alarming. It explained a lot as to why Gladys always wore such concealing clothes. Otherwise, it only rose more questions and fear for her roommate. Who did that to her?!

The panicked yells turned to sobs and Chell finally let her attention go to the door in front of her. She focused on the voice behind it. Gladys never showed emotion. She never let Chell see her break the irritated façade. Yet now, after seeing something like that, Gladys had shattered. Rage, fear and horror all turned to panic and sobs were heard from the bathroom.

Chell willed herself to say anything to her roommate, yet nothing came out. Slowly, she moved to sit down outside the bathroom, and wait.

\---

Multiple times over the course of three hours, Gladys peeked out of the bathroom she had locked herself in. Both crying and yelling echoed out from the door. Yet despite all the complaints from within the bathroom, Chell never moved from her waiting spot. She wanted to give Gladys time, but be here to apologize when the woman finally came out.

“I don’t want you here you lunatic!”

“Stop waiting. If you think that you’re going to get to know anything then you’re dead wrong.”

“Why won’t you say something or go away?!”

That was just a taste of what was screeched in her direction when the door was slightly opened. Other times, Gladys flat out insulted Chell without showing her face. Chell just sat there through it, not letting any of the harsh words get to her. They stung, but she’d live.

“You are a lunatic. A monster. You know that?”

“I HATE you. You selfish bitch.”

“You’re smelly, fat and your parents probably never loved you.”

The sun slowly set and left Chell in the darkness of the room, the only light coming from a small sliver at the bottom of the door in front of her. Gladys had grown quiet, giving up on the insulting and the yelling. Yet her waiting paid off. The sound of the doors lock clicking open reached her ears. Light slowly began to pool out from the room in front of her and the sound of shaky breathing soon followed. “….Why are you…still waiting out here?”

Gladys’s voice was much calmer than it was the last time she had spoken. There was a lack of full hostility and there were exhausted undertones. And this time, it wasn’t an insult or jab. Just a question. Silver eyes turned up to squint at her roommate. “I wanted to make sure you were okay and to say that…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“Yeah. You better be sorry for what you did. Knocking IS a thing you know.”

Chell nodded, deciding to not respond verbally to that.

“You haven’t moved all this time…After everything I’ve said to you and how I’ve treated you these past few months and yet you’re still trying to be nice to me? You must really have brain damage.”

Despite the rude words, there were no bitter intentions behind them. It was as if Gladys had lost her ill-temper. Slowly, the white haired woman slid to the floor, facing Chell. They both remained there in a rare silence for awhile before Chell decided to speak up.  “Do you want to start over?”

“Start over? What kind of stupid suggestion is tha-“

“I mean, you haven’t eaten dinner and neither have I. We can either start today over, or we can try it all again from the beginning. We should go out to get food and maybe we can…figure out some things. You don’t have to talk about…what happened earlier if you don’t want, but you are my roommate.”

“That did not explain the ‘start over’ bit you imbecile.”

Chell gave Gladys a look that said “you know what I meant by that”. Grunting, she stood up, stretching after being there for hours and then holding a hand out to Gladys. While things were still very tense, Gladys took the hand and let herself be pulled up.

Although Chell didn’t wish for it to happen this way, seeing scars from Gladys’s past was her key into mending what little of a relationship they had. Starting again was the best way to go about this whole thing. They were stuck together after all. Chell would open up to Gladys in turn if needed.

They’d just have to make this work.

“...How do you feel about Italian?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestial_Raven (Sept 7th): Update!!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!! You've left us with so many unanswered questions!  
> Here it is! Ironically, I just logged into AO3 to post this chapter when I saw this comment.
> 
> Also, unnameddoc on Tumblr made this fic some fanart and it's super cool! Thank you so much!  
> https://unnameddoc.tumblr.com/post/165022426456/ive-been-rereading-years-of-science-by
> 
> I actually just started college, so updates will not be regular, though I will do my best to keep this fic going!

It was a small, dimly lit Italian restaurant on the opposite edge of town, made out of brick and a dark wood. A couple windows at the front revealed the interior. It was near empty due to the time, so the two of them managed to sit at the most isolated booth. Small candles adorned each table, the flickering light casting a warm glow. The tablecloths were a dark maroon and warmed each booth and table. Servers strode by on occasion. House plants and pots with vines littered the place, giving it a rather homey feeling.

The silence between Chell and Gladys, unlike the restaurant, was not as peaceful.

Chell was sitting with her arms in her lap, awkwardly tapping the inside of her thigh. Gladys had taken to knocking her knife against the table. Both of them had only spoken once to the waiter. Once the woman had taken their orders and left them with a couple drinks, they had both relapsed into their own minds. Even Gladys, who enjoyed talking and making snarky remarks, was at a loss of how to start a conversation with her roommate.

Finally, Chell let out a cough to clear up the air and turned her attention to Gladys. Both hands rose to be clasped on the table and not fidgeting down out of sight.

“So… I’m Chell.”

A hand was extended out to the white haired woman, who had a rather agitated expression.

“Listen here you lunatic. I know WHO you are alrea-“

 “Just do it.”

Gladys let out a rather loud groan, throwing her head back dramatically in the process, before reaching across and giving Chell a firm yet quick handshake. After letting go, she leaned back on her side of the booth which earned a rather tired look from Chell.

“…Ugh fine. Stop giving me that look. I’m…I’m Gladys. We’ve been roommates for a few months.”

“There. Wasn’t hard. We’re just…starting over. We’re roommates after all.”

Snatching her phone out, Chell tapped something and looked at it before returning her gaze to the woman across the table. The cell remained out and in view. A small list of questions was pulled up.

“Okay…How old are you and…when’s your birthday?”

“Do we really have to do this? This is stupid. I could be studying and getting rest for tomo-“

Chells glare managed to shut her up.

“…Fine. I am 22. Birthday is October 9th.”

“My birthday’s April 19th, but that’s not exact.”

“Not exact? Why-“ Gladys gave a genuinely curious look, leaning forward on her side of the table. “Is it because you’re an orphan? Did your parents that abandoned you not leave how old you were?”

Chell sighed at the insult, not responding to anything other than the first question.

“I was very, very young when I came to the orphanage. They assumed I was only around a month old when I was dropped off so they put my birthday a month before I arrived.”

“Simple enough. Probably didn’t want to take the effort to give some abandoned kid with likely brain damage a more specific birthday. I mean, you can research that sort of stuff! Blood samples do wonders believe it or not.”

“There were 68 kids and we barely had enough money to eat.” Chell debated continuing to speak, before finally deciding to get right down to the root of the problem. With a lack of any expression or emotion in her voice, she added, “Also, I have feelings too. I’m sorry about walking in on you earlier, but I did apologize for what I did. Your insults about me being adopted and “brain damaged” are just making this more difficult.”

Gladys froze up in her seat, seeming surprised that Chell had finally addressed her barrage of irritated remarks without even the hint of anger in her voice. Yet there was no apology. Instead Gladys just looked down at the table, finding that her red wine was much more interesting.

Minutes passed in tense silence, the distant sound of patrons talking becoming more and more unbearable. Clinking of silverware against ceramic platters were accompanied by a quiet song that played through hidden speakers. It would have been nice if the two of them were on better terms.

Yet they continued to sit in a painful silence.

The minutes passed on. Both of them glanced at phones to check the time and to give themselves momentary relief from the awkward setting they were both now in. The list of questions had been abandoned.

Eventually, a waiter dropped off their dishes which were picked at slowly over the course of a long and painful hour. Chell flat out didn’t like talking much, but Gladys seemed adamant on keeping her mouth shut about herself. Their plates were emptied and once finished, the rest of the building was empty except for them and the staff.

Chell was fully ready to pay her bill and leave. Just let Gladys walk back to the dorm on her own and give them both some time to themselves. This dinner felt like a massive waste of time and the warm comforter on her bed sounded more appealing than remaining here for another 10 minutes.

 

“…They’re from when I was a kid.”

 

Her gaze shot up to look at the white-haired woman in mild shock. An hour of silence and now she speaks? Gladys looked rather nervous at the fact that she had spoken after so long and golden eyes shot to stare anywhere except her companion. It was strange to see almost...fear on her face.

“…What?”

“The scars. The things you saw when you walked in earlier. They’re from… uh...doctors. I was a really sick kid and had to have a lot of different things happen. The surgeries left scars.”

Gladys ran a hand to reach across her chest in a defensive manner, as if protecting herself from something invisible. A flicker in her eyes made it seem as if she had more to say, yet before any response could be made, the golden eyes hardened. In seconds, Gladys had raised her walls on the subject.

“How about this Chell. Let’s make a deal. I’ll stop talking about how you were abandoned on a doorstep if you never mention or bring up my scars. It sounds like a plan that will benefit the both of us.”

It had been a small explanation, but enough to sate Chells curiosity. Pressing would be unnecessary. So with a small nod, Chell agreed to Gladys’s statement before dropping the topic. Though something about the way it was mentioned felt…fake. ‘Surgery’ was a valid reason, but no human being should have that many scars from doctor’s appointments. Though Chell didn’t see the doctor much. She didn’t know.

_I’m just being paranoid._

“…How about we talk about…What you’re majoring in. I remember Cave mentioned something about…genetics?”

Gladys seemed to light up at the loss of the previous topic and the mention of science. Without any more prompting, she jump-started off on that train of conversation.

“Well I’d like to be a general science major and learn about all different forms of it. Caroline’s does a lot of…Human Ecology work, but I’d prefer something dealing with Computer Sciences or maybe Biochemistry. Genetics is interesting too though. I’ve always been fascinated by science as a whole. I think… testing...specific elements is a fine way to progress the world.”

Chell couldn’t help but stare at the woman across the table. Just the start of a conversation had caused her agitation and hatred vanish and be replaced with interest. A smile rose at the way Gladys’s face gleamed when talking about science. Both her and Caroline had this intense sparkle in their eyes that showed they were passionate about something.

“I hate science that tests ON people and living things, but if it tests with them in a humane manner, then that’s fine. I want to know how specific tests affect humans in both the short and long run.”

“Sounds intriguing. I bet you’ll do good in those fields.”

Gladys looked up to meet Chells gaze. The burst of enjoyment about the topic died off when she noticed the brown haired woman staring at her. Instead, she started humming quietly and glare as if she was digging for all information available.

“Let me guess. …You were a jock in high school, did track to keep yourself in shape, but excelled in…geology. Maybe zoology.”

There was a slow nod from Chell, who leaned forward on her side of the booth and setting her clasped hands on the table in front of her. “Zoology was more of a hobby and geology in high school was dull. Hasn’t been too bad here, but that’s not what I’m going for.”

“So I was right-“

“Sort of. I liked both, but I’m undeclared. I declared a couple times in the past, but right now I’m going back and forth between majors. …I think that’s what I’ll end up going for biology actually.”

“Biology? Like human behaviors? Evolution? Plant biology? You’ve got to give me more than just a pathetic snippit of information.”

Chell chuckled at Gladys’s pressing questions about it and she continued on in more detail. To her surprise, Gladys actually seemed to enjoy talking about their majors and delved more into her own major once the other had finished speaking. Both of them were excited about the topic of science, sparking up more talking. Yet, when the topic changed to the others major, there was no rude interruptions. Just popped in questions about various things.

Conversations about majors shifted into talking about classes, the school, and things going on in the town outside college. Even started talking about themselves. Both of them learned that they had plenty in common. A love for science and dark roast coffee. Neither of them were early birds, but college required them both to get up early to make it on time. Chell enjoyed cake and sweet things and Gladys mentioned something about knowing how to cook. Italian was a favorite kind of food for them both.

Finally, during their conversation, they took it out of the restaurant and back down the road to the school. The chat continued, though it had derailed form the original topic. Nothing too personal, just general conversation topics like their favorite movies and the meaning of life.

The road back was dark, only being lit up occasionally by a circle from street lamps. Whenever they passed under one, Chell would glance at Gladys in the momentary light. The white hair shimmered and almost looked like snow. It was odd since she had never seen Gladys get her hair bleached, but she supposed it looked nice none the less. Golden eyes were a bit of a shock too. A flashy difference from normal eyes. Yet they sparkled with a fire that Chell didn’t see often.

When Gladys took a glance back in Chells direction under the passing light, Chell looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught staring. Yet she had been seen.

“…Like what you see?”

“I- excuse me?! I didn’t mean to stare but-“

Gladys laughed, showing that her words had been nothing more than a playful tease. Chell quietly huffed, but smiled in the safety of the darkness. The laughter was a nice change from the usual harshness of her voice. They finally approached the large building that was their dorm and entered the quiet hallways. It was late and most people were in their rooms working or attempting to sleep.

Happy to be back, Chell started walking in the direction of the room, but Gladys didn’t move to follow beyond the entrance. After a few strides, Chell turned back around to stare curiously at her roommate.

“…I…” Gladys hesitated, an unusual thing for her to do before speaking. “…Thanks. For dinner. I have to admit that spending an evening with you was nowhere near as bad as I would have thought. It was more or less pleasant after that first hour.”

A show of gratitude, despite being mildly rude, was a nice thing to see. The impudent way of phrasing it was passed off as just Gladys’s way of talking or maybe a side effect of the glass of wine she had earlier. Nodding in return, Chell gave the tiniest visible smile.

 

“No problem.”


	6. Chapter 6

“I made coffee.”

A grunt came from under the covers.

“Oh don’t “mmfh” me Chell. You’ve snoozed your alarm four times already and I’m not going to let you become any lazier. Get up before this pot gets cold.”

Since that first dinner had gone fairly well, both Chell and Gladys were doing their best to keep their relationship up to a better standard. Both topics of Chell being an orphan and about Gladys’s scars were avoided like they weren’t existent. Yet questions remained. For now though, they both did their best to be less of enemies and more of normal roommates.

Even then, the white-haired woman didn’t bother trying to tame her tongue. There was plenty of times she snapped at and insulted Chell, who in turn, ignored it. Old habits would die hard. Yet they both did their best to be a little bit nicer to each other.

The lack of constant fighting between the two of them though was a thing Chell was grateful for. The back and forth griping had been tiring her out for the first two months. A years’ worth of complaining from Gladys would had drove her crazy. Luckily for them both, they were on mildly better terms.

Coffee had become one of their “roommate bonding methods”. Whoever woke up first would brew a pot and then they’d enjoy a cup together in silence unless class called. Hot coffee and peaceful silence. The warm liquid was a nice thing to have since the morning kept getting colder. Snow was no longer a sporadic event, coating the ground on a weekly basis. Neither of them went outside very often, only passing briefly through the courtyard to get to the main building so snow wasn’t an issue.

Unlike the shortening days however, classes were not falling short on the number of assignments and stress it gave the students. Both Gladys and Chell often returned from class carrying the weight of multiple assignments on their shoulders. The looming shadow of finals didn’t relieve that tension either.

Other than the workload, classes remained the same in terms of atmosphere. One of the classes Gladys and Chell shared, “Writing and Inquiry”, was one place that barely changed every time they met. Various students would seat themselves in spots they assigned themselves and class would always start 7 minutes after 8:30. Teacher always made jokes about how he was “late with Starbucks”. Wheatley, Rick, and two others were always chatting loudly on one side of the room. Dennis remained by himself a few rows from the front. Chell, like Dennis, kept to herself. Gladys would always seat herself across the room so her and Chell wouldn’t interact unless necessary. It was a regular routine of class starting on Fridays.

Of course, something else that rarely ceased to fall out of routine was the jabs made at Chells selective muteness during class. They mainly arose from a small group of girls who sat a couple rows back behind her.

“Oh hey! The greasy haired mute showed up today!”

“You think she’s as dumb as she looks? Maybe she’s stupid and that’s why she doesn’t talk.”

Chell didn’t react to the jabs. She never did.

“Or maybe she’s brain damaged! I heard she was just thrown onto the side of a road. Maybe she hit her head too hard.”

“Hey mute bitch! Why don’t you turn around and say my name! Come on! It’s SARAH. S-AIR-AH.”

All the girls snickered cruelly at the insults, but the sudden appearance of a shadow behind them made them falter and freeze.

“ _You know, I doubt you’d want to hear her say your name. I’ve heard people say your name and they always sound disappointed.”_

Gladys leaned in to meet eyes with Sarah, a malevolent smile slowly growing. The whole group only stared in shock between both Gladys and Sarah, who was just sputtering in a slowly growing rage. Gladys just let out a sultry chuckle and finally strode away. Before anything could be shot back from the group of girls, the teacher came in.

7 minutes late with Starbucks.

Perfect timing.

\---

“Chell! Chell! Oi I know you can hear me wait up!”

Gladys let out a hiss as the tall, blue eyed man ran up to the two of them, quietly mumbling something along the lines of “not this moron” under her breath. Chell just turned to wait for Wheatley to catch up to them beside the classrooms exit.

“’Ey so I was wondering if you’d like to maybe hang out with me, Rick, Andrew and Space Kid? It’ll be fun luv! Got some snacks, some games, and it would be even funner if you and maybe your roommate could join!”

Wheatley gave his best attempt at puppy dog eyes, which was quickly shot down by Gladys, who was anything but interested. Chell wasn’t in the mood to hang out after the class except back in her room with a plate of food. After a quick shake of her head which resulted in a sound of dejection from the man beside her, she asked a quick and quiet question.

“Who’s Andrew?”

“Oh wot?! I thought you and Andrew knew each other! Him and Rick are best mates and I don’t know why but the bloke really loves purple. Like he’s OBSESSED with it! OI ANDREW COMERE!” Wheatley paused as a shorter man with brown hair and a purple vest came up, patting him on the back once he stopped.

“Chell, meet Andrew! Andrew, this is Chell!”

Andrew looked Chell up and down, turning to do the same to Gladys, before holding out a hand in a stiff manner. It was taken after slight hesitation on Chells part.

“Fact: I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“And this scar- I mean…lovely lady is Gladys. Chells roommate.”

Gladys glared at both of the men, raising a lip to snarl at them both. It was obvious she wanted to be anywhere but with them. She didn’t shake Andrews extended hand, instead glaring at them from her spot behind Chell.

“…Charmed.”

“Oh wot?! You actually think Andrew’s charming?! Ah come on luv! You and I should hang out and then you can really see how charming I can b-“

_“Sarcasm is a thing you moron.”_

Wheatley jolted in an offended manner and Gladys took that time to turn to Chell.

“I’m going back to the room.”

And without another glance in the direction of the two men, she left, striding out of the room and leaving Chell to her fate of having an ear talked off for the next hour.

\---

Chell slowly walked through the large courtyard, happy to finally get a moment of peace and quiet. Wheatley could have ranted on for an eternity so Chell slipped out before he had a chance to continue another topic. The sky outside was grey and left the world feeling monochrome and cold, yet it was also strangely silent. A very light snow fell from above, dusting the pathway.

Stopping in the middle of the path, Chell tilted her head to face the sky, breathing in the chilled air. The tip of her nose began to get cold, but the rest of her was bundled up so she didn’t mind her nose getting red. Seeing how it was still nice out for the most part, she took a seat on the bench beside the pathway. The light snow was serene and brought a small smile to her face. Something so small and so delicate was also so beautiful, coating the landscape in a layer of white.

For a few moments, she just sat and enjoyed the scenery around her. The cold, barren courtyard. The frozen cobblestone path. The frosted and leaf-less trees. While it appeared to be dead and dull, the white of snow and frost was a nice change from the harsh, blue light of florescent bulbs that littered the college buildings. Each breath let out visible steam in the air.

A yawn shot her out of her daze. Sitting there for a little while and using her body heat alone to keep warm had apparently warn her out. So after a quick stretch, she stood up to walk inside, fully feelingthe chill that was seeping in after being out for so long. Abandoning the bench, Chell returned to the pathway and finished crossing the courtyard to the dorms. The open doorway shot a wave of warmth out and over her, reminding her that she couldn’t remain outside forever. The temperatures were below freezing and no human should stay out for long when it’s snowing.

Quick walks were fine, but Chell couldn’t stay out for longer than 10 minutes.

She’d get sick in this weather.

\---

Chell scrubbed dishes that were piled up in their little sink, glancing over at Gladys who finished putting food into Tupperware. They had both decided that it would be more efficient and save money if one person cooked dinner and made enough for them both. Whoever didn’t cook would clean up the dishes afterwards. It had been Gladys’s turn to make food for the night so Chell was stuck using a sponge to wipe off the grime from the plate and bowls used during the cooking.

She didn’t mind doing the work though. They had both split-up house work evenly and took turns on jobs so neither of them were ever doing more than the other. The system was nice to have and the room ended up looking much nicer compared to when it was just Chell. She had left dishes for days without cleaning, too tired to care much.

With Gladys around, she had a bit more standards.

And she was always happy to not have to cook a meal for the night. They took turns with that too, but there was one thing she had to admit. Gladys was a surprisingly good cook. Quiche for dinner was the last thing she expected, but Chell didn’t complain. It was food and it had tasted fantastic.

Setting plates down to dry, Chells hands were wiped off and she turned the light in the kitchen off as she left. While she was working on dishes, Gladys had returned to their shared bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed with a tired expression. Class was always a draining thing. Even Gladys, a woman who could make herself attentive to almost any lecture, grew exhausted by a days’ worth of classes and work.

Yet it was obvious to Chell that her roommate’s walls were still up. Even half asleep, exhausted and in a state of mind that would usually lower people’s mental walls, Gladys continued to keep her guard up. Especially when Chell was around. A single shift from the doorway as Chell entered and Gladys’s golden eyes hardened with a coolness in them.

But they were also thoughtful.

As Chell grabbed things and moved around the room, Gladys’s sharp gaze followed. She walked to the doorway with a bundle of clothes, only to freeze at the voice, turning to raise an eyebrow.

“…Chell.”

“Hmm?”

“Does that group of girls always tease you that way? Honestly, they act all high and mighty without even thinking about other people’s feelings. It’s revolting. How on earth can they speak pathetic words with a headspace so small?”

“I’m used to it.”

“…Well honestly, I personally think they’re all wrong and need to have their facts checked. You don’t look dumb. In fact, you look more intelligent than that whole group put together.”

Gladys spoke in a rather nonchalant manner, but Chell noticed a gleam of what almost seemed like protectiveness in her eyes. The icy gold melted away to reveal some of a warmth in them. Even after a constant barrage of teasing from Gladys, she was now being protected by her. It was…a strange turnaround from how they started off.

“…Thanks Gladys.”

“Uh-huh. Next time they bother you, I’ll just come and remind little “Sarah” about how she’s a disappointment in more ways than one. Yes, I know why and no…” Gladys grinned.

_“I’m not telling.”_


	7. Chapter 7

Chell found herself tending to enjoy the walks between her dorm and classes, the cold winter air a nice break from the stuffy rooms indoors. They gave her time to think and relax on her own. Of course, she wasn’t the only one who passed through the courtyard, but most people rushed by to get back inside where it was warm. Chell found herself taking more time to walk when out there. To enjoy the snow that seemed to fall on a daily basis and watch it pile up on the ground. To watch her breaths crystalize in midair and then vanish in mere seconds. To listen to the sounds of silence, not having the barrage of chatter from other students.

Yet the temperatures had long since dropped down to below freezing and every time she passed through the outside area, her nose grew cold enough to remind her that humans couldn’t stay out for too long. So while the walks were slowed and savored, they never stretched on longer than necessary. Enjoy the snow. Enjoy the grey sky that allowed the lights strung up on trees for the upcoming holidays to bring a warm sense of glee.

“Turn in your papers on my desk and make sure that you have the next three chapters read by next week. YES, the readings will be on the final. Study hard and see you next week.”

Classes were enjoyed far less than the walks. The cold air of outdoors was calming and quiet, but inside, it was constant chatter and overwhelming smells of pumpkin spice and peppermint candles. Finals were less than a month away which didn’t help the strain on Chells mind. The longer she spent inside with the stress of her work load, the worse of a headache she got.

“Hey mute bitch!”

And of course, she had class with the group of annoying girls who never realized that their jabs weren’t going to set her off. Even people in elementary school could think of better insults. Without any change in pace, Chells books were slipped into her bag before a orange and blue scarf was raised to fully cover her neck.

“Don’t ignore me! God, stop acting all high and mighty!”

One of them came over just as Chell rested her bag on her shoulder, leaning in uncomfortably close and raising her voice which made Chell cringe.

“Did you hear me? HUH? Why don’t you just get out of our school and go away you freak! I’ve heard that even your roommate doesn’t like you! She just pities you because you have nothing to lose. I bet even your parents would find you revolting- oh wait…THEY DID!”

Chelll, clenching her bag strap, moved to shove past with her arm and leave without a word in return. She had nothing that needed to be said to them. They didn’t know who she was.

All they did was make her headache worse.

By the time she pushed open the doors to the courtyard, the sun had fallen. The whole area was dark, only lit up by various lights that had been strung up in trees, giving it a warm glow despite the freezing temperatures. Compared to the freezing daytime hours, it was even colder now. Chell wasn’t bothered by it. A light snow was falling and she decided to take it slow and savor the peace and quiet.

Gentle inhales were in sync with each crunch of snow every time her foot touched the ground. Any distant sounds of talking or cars were muffled by the pour of white fluff. Yet as she continued, she couldn’t help but catch sight of the bench that sat along the pathway. It was mildly hidden behind one of the trees. Oddly enough, only one side was clear of snow while the other side was piled over the side, likely from someone sitting there earlier.

Deciding her brain needed a rest, Chell stopped moving towards her dorm and took a seat on the cleared part of the bench, letting out a huff of air she had been holding in. It was Friday. Classes were canceled on Monday, yet the stress of everything was still a lot. She’d get through, she always did, but it was still hard.

Chell grunted and shifted her position on the bunch so she was sitting with her back against the pile of snow and her legs over the side. Yawning, she looked up at the still overcast sky, lights from buildings reflecting off the layer of clouds. A white haze from falling snow disrupted her view. A blue light in one of the dorm windows flickered across the courtyard while another room had a warmer orange glow like fire. The main building was flooded with bright, lifeless white lights which burned the eyes after a while. Paired with the snow though, the light glittered off the falling flakes in a flattering manner.

Inside smelled like every form of scented candle on top of 10 different peppermints for “holiday spirit”. It was always an overwhelming barrage of over-sweetened coffee, a gym bag after a semester of being in a locker, and hot chili carried in thermos’s. Outside was clean, cold air, not smelling of anything more than a fresh slate.

The longer she stared at the ever-changing scenery, the more tired she grew. It was so peaceful compared to the stressed environment of the school inside that it began to lull her mind into a dazed state. She knew that staying out in below freezing temperatures wasn’t good, but at this point with how exhausted she was, Chell didn’t care.

So slowly she shifted to a half sitting, half laying position before closing her eyes and falling into a strangely warm and peaceful darkness.

\---

“No you moron-“

“I’m not a moron!”

“Shut it and tell me where Chell is. Don’t say you don’t know because I KNOW you had class with her last period! She’s always back before 11 and unless you give me a straight answer, I will break your nose.”

“I- alright! Just let me go!”

Gladys dropped her fist from Wheatleys collar, giving him a chance to finally speak without any issues. It was around midnight and all he was in was some rather tacky pajamas and fuzzy slippers. A step was taken back. Even though she was a foot shorter than him, her gaze could cut through anything and the air that came off Gladys was always menacing. It was even worse when she was mad.

“I- I saw her being picked on by that group of girls! Ya know the ones. Shares every class with her? But after that she left and went towards the courtyard like she does every day!” Wheatley held his hands up in a rather defensive manner.

“Class ended two hours ago… Okay. Courtyard.”

Turning on her heel, Gladys strode down the hallway with the courtyard as a starting point.

“Uh…You’re welcome! Bloody ‘ell she’s not listening…”

While Gladys could care less about what her roommate did outside of their room, she still worried a bit when everything in town was closed along with campus. She knew that Chell never stayed out past 11 either. She wasn’t very concerned, but she just wanted to make sure Chell was okay. …Just because they were roommates with schedules that rarely changed.

Pushing open the doors into the courtyard, she was met with a blast of icy wind and sharp shards of snow. The light snowfall had graduated into a blizzard, dropping constant ice from above. It was freezing and she wanted nothing to do with the deadly weather, yet she’d deal with it till she found Chell. Her original goal had been to g o through the courtyard and see if maybe Chell was still in the main building. None of her texts had been answered though. They weren’t _friends_ , but they did keep in contact.

Slowly, Gladys pushed her way across the area, using one arm to block her face from the barrage of ice and the other to hug her coat even closer than she already had. Snow was piling up in inches quickly ever since the sun fell which made getting through harder. The light from the buildings was barely visible the father she went, only flashes of light being seen through the snow

A glimpse of orange on the bench caught her attention though, stopping her before she tried to get all the way to the classroom building. Through the haze of the storm, the faint outline of a person was visible and a rush of panic made Gladys scurry over. Panic was not a common thing for her to feel, yet it only grew when she confirmed who it was, a cold dread seeping through her veins.

Chell, half buried in snow, was asleep and oblivious to the storm that was slowly gnawing at her skin. The only protection was a scarf flinging itself around with the wind and the mild rise of the bench by her side.

Quickly, Gladys brushed most of the snow off of Chells form before hefting her up into her arms and making a break back to the dorm building. The wind continued to push at them from all sides, throwing Gladys off balance and making the run anything but a straight shot. After fighting against nature, they finally made it to the doors which were flung open and slammed shut as quickly as possible. The warmth of the building let Gladys rest for just a moment, before she took off down the hall to get to their room.

The whole way back, Gladys hissed insults at Chell about ‘being so stupid to stay out there’ and ‘you’re a moron for not getting enough sleep to begin with’. No true hostility was behind the words. In reality, Gladys was actually terrified for the woman that was her roommate. Chell and her weren’t always on the best of terms, and Gladys wouldn’t ever let her know that she actually cared, but she didn’t want something like this to happen.

In the room, Gladys put some water on the stove to heat up while getting Chell out of her clothes which had been soaked through and frozen. If Chell was awake, she’d likely be mortified, but it was get the clothes off or risk hypothermia. Though after being out as long as she had, it was likely she was already sick.

Gladys worked faster yet with precision to get Chell out of the wet clothes, into bed and with a bottle of warm water on her neck to help warm her up. Taking a breath, Gladys stared over Chell for a moment, realizing that she did all that she could. Now she had to wait.

\---

Chell floated in a darkness, unable to move her limbs or her head. It felt like she was laying down in the void. When she had first fallen asleep, it had been strangely warm, but now she felt like she was both burning alive and freezing at the same time. Everything ached with a dull pain. Groaning, she tried to open her eyes, only able to crack them slightly open. The dorm. She knew where she was, but everything was hazy and sounds were oddly distant. Something in the back of her mind tried to tug her back into unconsciousness, but she held on for just a bit longer.

In the corner of her vision, she saw movement accompanied by the sound of muffled voices.

“Gladys you did everything you could.”

“There has to be something else Caroline! I’m no doctor! You always took care of me when I got sick after-“

“Don’t bring it up. You need to calm down too. It’s not like you to get this panicked.

“Look. All I’m saying is that you were always the one who knew how to take care of people. Is there anything else I can do or not?”

“You can start by lowering your voice. …She’s awake.”

Caroline and Gladys appeared in her vision, faces blurred and expressions unknown to her. Seeing Gladys and her sister brought a strange sense of relief. The feeling of safety. They began to talk again though now she couldn’t understand what they were saying or if they were even talking to her at all. Slowly, her gaze turned to the form that was Gladys before her eyes slid shut.

\---

The next time Chell woke back up, things were a bit clearer and she could move, though it hurt like hell to do so. Everything was quiet. Shifting, she turned her head to look around. The room was empty. Cold, bright light streamed in through the blinds and the analog clock on the table said that it was the mid-afternoon. Beyond her head, nothing else wanted to respond to her wanting to move so she didn’t push it.

The feeling of being on fire and frozen solid still persisted, though it was less severe than the last time she had woken up. On top of that, a headache joined the fever. Part of her wished to go back to sleep and try to get through this with as much rest as she could get, but she was tired of sleeping. It felt like she had been out for 9,999,999 years.

So all that could be done was to stay in bed and stare at the room around her. She had to admit, being bed-ridden with nothing to do was less boring than some classes she had. Eyes trailed across the ceiling. She kept tabs on the things around the room like the fire alarm next to the door out, a water stain on the ceiling, 3 textbooks on the floor, a desk chair beside the bed and a water bottle beside the wall.

A water bottle.

She locked her gaze on the plastic container of water, realizing just how dry her mouth was and how much she craved a drink. It was where the wall met the bed, barely out of reach. Despite her aching limbs, Chell tried to grab it, clawing at it whenever she got close. But she could barely move. Every time her fingers brushed against the bottle, which was cold and mildly damp from condensation, it slipped further away which just agitated her.

“…You know, you can always ask for help. I know you’re not the type to bother asking for anything, but come on.”

Jumping slightly, Chell turned to catch sight of Gladys, who stood in the doorway with a mug. Steam rose and cascaded over the sides of the cup. For a moment, the white-haired woman just stood there before finally striding over and sitting on the chair beside the bed. The mug was held out some.

“Sit up.”

Frowning mildly, Chell tried to push herself into a sitting position, only to fall back against the mattress, feeling slightly out of breath. That just caused a deeper frown.

“You know if you frown that much, your face will stick that way. Just tilt your head up then. I just need you to drink this.”

Raising her head so the drink wouldn’t spill was easier than sitting up and after making sure she wouldn’t fall back, the drink was accepted. Or rather, the soup. She had expected tea or coffee, not a simple broth. Gentle sips of the hot liquid were taken before she pulled back to breath. Her gaze met Gladys’s.

“…What?”

A tickle at the back of Chells throat told her that trying to talk would end with her coughing out a lung, so she settled for staring at the mug and then back to Gladys.

“The soup? Caroline made it cause you’re sick, dumbass. That and it kinda counts as both a drink and a food. A win-win.”

The sound of steps echoed from the door and Caroline popped her head out of the doorway to smile at Chell before disappearing again. Chell smiled back, but Gladys took her attention back.

“Alright, now I want to know. What the hell were you doing out there asleep in the middle of a blizzard?! I could care less what you do on a day to day basis, but you could have DIED.”

The snap was a lot more jarring than Chell expected and she shrinked back into the covers slightly. She knew it had been stupid. Yet her mind yesterday had been far too tired to think and actually realize that falling asleep on a snow-covered bench wasn’t a great idea. Her headache hadn’t actually gone away since then. Getting sick had made it worse.

Now she had a headache and chills.

Gladys let out an audible groan, pinching the bridge of her nose before moving to jolt the cup back in Chells direction.

“Well, till you get better, both Caroline and I are going to taking care of you. I hope you feel proud of yourself. You’re both missing class and getting to have me help you out. And once you can talk, you are going to explain to me why on earth you were out there.

  
Now sit back up and drink this before it gets cold.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also thank you to 24-7 Testing on tumblr for this amazing fanart!  
> https://24-7-testing.tumblr.com/post/165951618394/i-couldnt-help-myself-this-scene-from

“You’re a moron.”

Chell grumbled and shifted farther under the pile of blankets, a hand that was holding up writing lowering itself to her side. Her cold had done no favors to her vocal chords and so she stayed silent since she got sick. Yet Gladys had demanded an explanation about why Chell had been out there- something more detailed than “I got tired”.

So Chell wrote out how she had been picked on by the same group of girls from before, giving her a headache, and the bench had seemed like such a peaceful place. She hadn’t meant to nod off.

“I mean, come on! I may have called you stupid in the past- never really meant it mind you- but that is the STUPIDEST thing. You can’t sleep outside in a blizzard! You’re a bigger moron than Wheatley! _WHEATLEY_.”

There was a quiet huff from Chell. Erasing the writing and brushing off the shavings, she quickly scribbled out a message before tossing the paper in Gladys’s direction. The white-haired woman read it before letting out a sharp laugh.

_I didn’t mean to fall asleep you know. That was an accident._

“Doesn’t matter! It was a stupid idea and now you’re sick. God. You actually- You know what. Just finish your soup. You are not leaving this damn bed until I say you can.” Gladys turned away and started to mumble under her breath. “And I’ll have to deal with those girls at some point. May have to do some digging…”

Standing, the white-haired woman left the room, leaving Chell to her own thoughts. She still had a horrid fever and felt like she was both frozen and on fire. Every breath shook her chest. Each exhale was a wheeze that managed to make her throat feel even more sore. Chell knew she was lucky that it wasn’t worse. Any longer out in below freezing temperatures could have ended up with a loss of limbs or death. The more she thought about what happened, the more unsettling it became. So she tried to focus on now. The soup that she had been given was sat on the table beside the bed. While she knew she should eat it, her stomach had other ideas. Even the mere sight of food made her gut churn in both a hungry and nauseous manner.

Yet something else made her stop to think, further ignoring the soup. While Chell felt like they were practically friends now- albeit strange ones, they weren’t super close. Yet Gladys had sounded worried. Worried about Chells well being. It had been nothing more than undertones in her words and tone of voice, but the worry was there. It was shocking that the woman actually started to care for Chell. …and in return, Chell was starting to care a lot for Gladys too.

In a strange way, she felt close to the other woman. Since they had gone out for that first dinner, they had finally traded phone numbers to keep in contact. A general routine around the dorm was set up. Whoever got up first would make coffee for the two of them and they’d share it over the dining table unless one of them had class. They’d both care for the dorm. Usually, unless something came up, they’d both be back by 11 and made sure to let each other know if they weren’t going to be back by then. Notes were traded, small things like food were shared, and overall, they actually started to enjoy each other’s company. It was a nice change from the beginning. Yet Chell felt the smallest flicker of something more, deep in her chest. The feeling was ignored and the soup was finally brought back to her attention.

Better eat this.

…Smells like basil.

For a couple of days, Chell was forced to stay in bed. Her fever was all over the place, constantly rising and dropping, and a pile of used tissues grew in a nearby trash bin. Gladys stayed around for the most part unless she had class, making sure Chell was doing okay and wasn’t doing too much outside of resting and staying in bed. She even forced class note away from Chell and said that “ _studying is NOT resting_ ”. On occasion, Caroline popped in to make some soup or tea and chat with the ill woman. It was always a pleasant surprise to see her. Despite the busy life of being an assistant to the boss of a major science facility, she still made time to see Chell.

“Your fever has gone up again...”

“Has it?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to get some more medicine for fevers. Hopefully, with a few more days of rest, you’ll be back to good health.”

“Well…maybe your tea will help me get better!”

“Hahah. Chell, if that was the case, Cave would have made millions off my “illness curing tea” by now.”

They’d always talk for as long as Caroline was willing to stay for. Otherwise, Chell was stuck scrolling down endless pages of social media sites or reading pages upon pages of books or fan fictions. Anything to pass the time. Otherwise, she’d just curl up under her blankets and find that her eyes were always much heavier than she realized once her head touched the pillow. Her sleeping schedule was all over the place. Usually, she was able to sleep through the night despite napping during the day, but sometimes she’d wake at midnight and be wide awake for hours.

Other times, when she’d wake up from napping, not all of her would be quite awake. It was usually when her fever was the highest. Chell would open her eyes and be in a daze for anywhere between a couple minutes to a couple hours, doing nothing more than staring around the room with a blank expression. Any time Gladys was around when Chell was like this, she’d sit nearby and see if Chell could respond. Usually ended up with a “conversation” of gibberish and then Gladys convincing Chell to go back to bed.

Chell never remembered those conversations.

However, the memories of Gladys sitting beside her bed and making sure her fever hadn’t gone up were much clearer. It was never when she was awake. Gladys always seemed to be “too busy” to sit and wait for Chell to get better.

“Be lonely over there for all I care.”

“My company isn’t going to make your fever go away.”

“What? I told you I’m not worried. God, you lunatic. Stop making assumptions.”

And yet, the memories of Gladys being worried, sitting on the chair beside her bed while Chell was barely conscious and checking up were fresh. No matter what was said, that fact was well known and brought the smallest, cheekiest grin to Chells face.

Gladys actually gave a shit.

It had been a little under a week since Chell had gotten sick. The stupid decision to take a nap in below freezing temperatures had come back for revenge. The fever was the highest it had been and Chell wanted to both curl up under piles of blankets and also jump out into a pile of snow. Her body was a war zone, raging against itself to help heal her, but in the meantime, Chell was miserable. Classes were being missed. Studying was a no go. Everything from her head to her stomach ached and groaned, no matter what she did.

Eventually, she gave in to the easiest solution. Sleeping. The cold, bright light that streamed in through the blinds no longer affected her when she tried to sleep and after some tossing and turning, Chell was out cold. For the day, she slept, not hearing Gladys return when the sun had set below the horizon.

\---

Gladys did her best to close the door quietly and get through the dorm room without any problems. The old building was creaky and groaned on every spot, yet nothing seemed to wake Chell up. Gladys was safe, walking in with ease. She had been taking care to not make things around the dorm worse for Chell. Treading lightly and making as little noise as possible.

The white-haired woman had been taking notes upon notes, while also collecting things for classes Chell was missing. Her book bag, heavier from carrying more than needed, was set on the bed before she turned her attention to Chell. Gold eyes flew over the shape that was covered in plenty of blankets, stopping on the face. It was reddened from the fever and Chells hair was a mess, streaming across the pillow in all direction.

Slowly, Gladys walked over and sat down into the chair that had taken residence beside Chells bed for the last week. She always hoped Chell wouldn’t notice her here. She tended to sit with her after class when Chell was asleep, watching to make sure nothing went wrong.

_It’s just a fever. Why on earth are you so worried about her? She’s just the same lunatic as before. Nothing’s changed._

Despite trying to convince herself that she wasn’t worried, the twinge of fear about Chells sickness remained, lodging itself in her gut. Not leaving.

“….God damn it. You’re nothing to me than a roommate so why do I actually care?”

Gladys let out a quiet hiss, leaning back and tilting the chair on its hind legs. Her hand ran over her face in a mixture of irritation and exhaustion. Her thoughts were all over the place and she just wanted things to get back into order. Take care of herself. Chell shouldn’t be her first priority. That thought was run through her head a couple of times before she leaned forward in the chair.

Yet once the chair was steady on the ground, a hand shot out from the bed, clinging onto Gladys’s wrist with a strange strength. Gladys’s first reaction was to let out a small noise of shock. Shooting to her feet in an instant as if preparing to move away. Yet after a moment of observing Chell, she could see that the sick woman was in another one of her ill spells, her silvery eyes clouded and unseeing. That fact didn’t help her relax though. One of her wrists was being clenched onto by a fist which was turning white at the knuckles. For a moment, she stared at Chell, gold meeting hazy silver. Yet after a second, she tried to pull her hand away. Yet the grip on her wrist tightened the more she pulled.

“L-let go of me you lunatic!”

“D---t g---“

Her free hand shot to work on prying Chells hand away, yet she froze, stopping to take a moment to listen. Chell had said something. It was muffled by blankets, fairly slurred and raspy from lack of use, but she had spoken.

“…. What was that?”

“…don’t….go…”

“Wha- I have to go. To the _KITCHEN_. Believe it or not, I’m a human being. Human beings need to eat. You also need to eat so you can get better and stop being so…creepy. Now let me g-“

“please.”

Now this was unusual. It was strange enough that Chell was actually talking, though her words were barely cohesive, but hearing her actually ask for stuff during this was strange. In a way it was creepy, but Gladys had a feeling it was just Chells exhaustion catching up to her and making her say stuff. So Gladys just sighed and rose her free hand in compliance.

“Fine. I’ll stay with you. So don’t blame me if you and I get hungr- …Chell. What are you doing. What are yoooOAAAH!”

Chell had slowly been scooting over on the small twin bed so she was pushed against the wall, using her distance to yank on Gladys’s arm and pull her down onto the mattress beside her. Landing face down in a pile of comforters, a quiet but obviously annoyed groan came from the woman. She was, for the most part, now lying beside Chell. The sick woman, seeming content, let go of Gladys’s wrist.

The chance to escape the strange situation was there and Gladys immediately took it, pushing herself up with speed. She didn’t spend her time escaping from strange places, but getting out of things was something she seemed to be good at. In seconds, she was up. Yet the dazed Chell wasn’t having it and quickly lashed out to grab at her roommate, holding her in a death grip hug. Her face was buried in Gladys’s shirt.

“Oh for fu- LET. GO.”

“No.”

Minutes passed of Gladys trying to convince a sick and dazed woman to let her go, but to no avail. Even when she was plagued with a horrible fever, Chell was the most tenacious person around. No illness would make her stop.

Finally, Gladys let out a snap for Chell to move over before plopping onto the bed, arms folded across her chest. Eyes glued to the ceiling, her face was in the single state of rage. Eyebrows were furrowed and lips were pursed in a tight frown. She looked anything but happy to be in this situation.

Yet Chell seemed more than content. The warmth of the human beside her drew her in and she curled up next to her roommate, resting her head on Gladys’s chest and closing her eyes with a sleepy smile.

“…You know. The only reason I’m letting you do this is because we are friends and you’re sick. You’re never getting this treatment from me again.”

“Mmhmm…just….friends…”

“God damn Chell. I know you’re sick, but you sound dru-“

“What if we were more than friends.”

Gladys’s eyes shot to Chell in an instant, wide with shock about the subject. They had never been anything more than friends. Even that took them ages to become since Gladys hadn’t wanted to grow close, and yet here Chell was, proposing something more.

More than friends?

She wanted to ask, but Chell had already nodded back off, curled up beside her.

She had to pass it off as a side effect of Chell being sick. It was just words. They weren’t actually meant. Maybe Chell wouldn’t remember any of this and that would be forgotten. Yet, people don’t just make stuff up when they’re sick or dazed. The truth always seems to persist the most.

Taking a deep breath, Gladys sunk into the pillow, trying to process what was said

And what she’d say to Chell if she remembered this in the morning.

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Neither of them met eye contact the next morning.

Coffee had been made like usual, but a strange tension hung in the air. Since the sickness seemed to calm down over night, Chell was allowed out of bed to sit at the table to have breakfast. Even in such an awkward moment, Gladys remained protective of Chell. Though she wouldn’t admit she was.

Gladys stared at the black liquid in the mug between her tightened grip, the only thing stopping her from shattering it being the lack of full concentration on it. Chell, who sat across the table from Gladys, had her hands out of view. Underneath the tables edge so they couldn’t be seen.

Whenever their eyes met, they held contact for no longer than a millisecond before shooting away in embarrassment.

While the strange, half asleep mumbling from Chell the night before was hoped to be nothing more than just the sickness talking, Chell admitted to recalling. And she hadn’t lied. It had been a truthful statement which led them to an awkward start to the day.

Both of them said nothing, just sat there with their focus on other things.

 

 

Chell was mentally kicking herself. Of course, her sick and dazed self had decided to murmur out something that would either change their relationship or destroy what they had built up over the course of the semester. It was too fast. They had both become friends only recently and now Chell just blurted out to her roommate that “ _Hey! I have a crush on you_!”.

She barely even knew what kind of person Gladys really was. She knew Gladys knew Italian- and was fairly fluent in it, enjoyed black coffee and hated potatoes. She chose wine over beer. Hated running, but did yoga on occasion. She knew Gladys didn’t like mornings at all, but still woke up early to get the most work out of her day.

She knew about the scars. Something about them being from lots of doctor’s appointments still didn’t add up, but she had never pressed on the subject. That was one of the more personal things Chell had been allowed to share with her roommate.

Yet that was it. Even still, Chell found the woman attractive. Her personality was terrible when it came to some of their interactions, but it was a work in progress. Even the scars, the dozens that littered Gladys’s body, didn’t change that Chell thought she was beautiful.

And now she was unsure of what to do.

The fact that she thought Gladys was pretty was never supposed to come out. She had hoped that maybe she’d have enough strength to hold it down until they changed rooms for their senior year. Then they could have moved on with their lives and the feelings would go away. Yet, fate seemed to have different ideas.

Their eyes still continued to waver every time they met.

Chell began tapping on the inside of her thigh with her fingers, as if tapping along to an unheard tune. It was just a habit that she had grown over the years. Out of sight.

On top of the irritation about letting the feelings slip, there was the anxiety about what Gladys would say. Chell was never an anxious person, but this was slowly crushing her. They had always been on edge. At the beginning, they were more enemies than anything and now this.

It was suffocating.

Waiting for an answer. A response. Anything more than just sitting and contemplating without closure. Even a “no” would be better than the silence that pressed down on the two of them. It was a weight that only Gladys could resolve with by giving an answer. At this point, it didn’t have to be the one Chell wished to hear. Anything was better than nothing.

The tapping on her leg continued.

Maybe she’s just ignoring it. Chell let out a silent snort at that. If she knew anything about Gladys, it was that she liked ignoring issues until she had to force her hand or they finally vanished on their own. This was likely one of those instances. Just another issue that she has to avoid until it goes awa-

 

“So you weren’t joking.”

 

Chell shot up to meet GLaDOS’s golden eyes, which had locked on and made sure to hold their gaze. The sharp color, striking in itself, also demanded attention just as much as the booming voice of the woman they belonged to. Chell couldn’t look away. Yet she couldn’t answer either, under the sudden pressure of the question.

The tapping stopped.

“Not going to answer me? Honestly Chell. I’ve expected- and seen mind you- just how lunatics are like. Yet this is a whole new level.”

Gladys let go of her mug and leaned back in the chair, never breaking eye contact. Arms crossed her chest.

“I’ve been crushed on before. Plenty of times. All sorts of people. Men. Women. People who don’t have a gender. So on and so forth. Yet those people never actually saw me outside of my more business-like nature. And yet you…”

A sip of the coffee was taken.

“…you have dealt with my rage first hand.  You know what I’m like and you likely know that I’m not someone who CARES about very many things.”

Another sip was taken. Chell could feel the tapping resume, the habit becoming less of a conscious thing and more of her bodies way of reducing the stress. Though it didn’t feel as if it was doing much. The thought of the habit was only a flicker in her mind as Gladys got her attention once more.

“You’ve seen my scars. Things I have never shown to anyone other than my sister since she was around when I received them. …And despite all of this, you still like me? You really are a lunatic.”

Chell finally broke the line of sight, letting her eyes drift down to the table and away from the woman across from her. She knew an answer was needed, but she had to word it properly or risk having it taken the wrong way.

Her arms were brought up above the table. No more tapping. Time to face the music and speak out what she needed to say.

“Yes. I do like you-“

“Wow, thank you Miss Obvious.”

“Want me to explain or not?” Chell snapped, though her voice was still a soft, hoarse whisper compared to her roommates booming voice.

Gladys, huffing, leaned back in her chair and waved a hand for Chell to continue.

“…Look I don’t get it either. You’ve always called me just shitty things and we didn’t get off to a great start, but…” A breath was taken.

“I think you’re interesting. You’re my roommate who keeps to herself about almost anything- probably for a reason. I’m not going to pry. But I’m still curious. And I think that you’re very pretty-“

“You think I’m pretty?”

“Well, yes-“

“Do you mean that.”

Gladys’s tone was sharp and her eyes were glaring, as if digging for any hints of Chell lying. They looked curious and fearful, an unusual thing to see in the white-haired womans expression. Yet all Chell could do was hold up her hands and shake her head to try and quell Gladys’s suspicions.

“I mean it. You said that many people have crushed on you in the past, and I’m one of them. But despite me having seen things that none of them have ever seen, I still think you’re pretty. Your hair is strange, but you make it work. Same with your eyes. They’re so vivid. ”

Gladys let out a quiet chuckle at that, as if mocking what Chell said or throwing it down, but a flicker of appreciation flashed across her face.

“…Your attitude is shitty-“

“Hey!”

“…but at the same time, you’re passionate and care deep down for people you get close to. You’re also playful and have some of the best comebacks I’ve ever heard anyone give.”

“I do my best.”

Chell let out a laugh at that, finding Gladys’s satisfaction at being the best at comebacks rather humorous. Yet the chuckling slowly died in her throat as she finished speaking. Just like earlier, she locked eye contact though this time, it was her demanding the attention.

“I like you despite everything we’ve been through and I think you’re amazing and I’d like to get to know you more. That’s the gist of it all. If you don’t like it, then at least say so-“

 

“I do.”

 

“-mething instead of…leaving…me…hanging…..” Chells words drifted off into silence and she blinked a few times before jolting her gaze back to Gladys in shock. Her jaw dropped as if she was going to respond, but nothing could come except for the continued silence. Taking a moment, her hand rubbed her face as she processed the answer.

“….Wait, really?”

“God Chell, who do you take me for? It’s too early in the morning for any tricks and this coffee only gives me so much energy _. I literally don’t have the energy to lie to you_.”

Despite the sarcasm heavy response, Gladys’s usually calm face was now moving in an embarrassed manner, though she was trying to hide it. The blush was one thing that couldn’t go away.

She couldn’t believe it. A chuckle, both from awkwardness and relief, bubbled out of her chest and she clasped her hands on the table. The coffee sitting nearby was now just an afterthought. Somehow, the laughter was contagious because slowly, the two of them began to laugh more.

Chell was relieved. Her anxiety about accidently letting that little thing slip and waiting for a response was finally cleared up. She could breathe easy without the weight of everything crashing down upon her. Yet something was still on her mind.

“So…I answered as to why I want to get to know you better. Why do you want to be together? Wait, have you crushed on me too or are you just giving this a chance?”

“Both.”

“BOTH?!”

Gladys let out a sultry laugh, downing the rest of her coffee and tearing her eyes away from Chell. The cup was finished and set back on the table with a clack.

“…Let’s just say…I’ve been interested in you for this long because I am curious about your behavior.”

“My behavior? You make it sound like I’m some sort of test subject.”

A quiet “tsk” came from Gladys and she shook her head as if to clear up Chells worries, though a flicker of recollection in her eyes said that there was more behind those words than what was allowed to be known.

“Not in that way. You’re tenacious and never give up. I don’t think I have EVER seen you give up on a fight or an argument. If you find it worth fighting for, you don’t stop until you’ve succeeded or did your best. And maybe…I think you’re rather appealing too. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve got some nice muscle on your arms.”

That resulted in a small blush. She did work out, but had stopped noticing any changes in her body from exercising on a constant schedule. Well, guess I’ll keep up my routine. It left a strange feeling in her gut that she was found attractive in return and the feelings she felt went both ways.

Though it wasn’t a bad feeling.

 

 

Chell, while Gladys made her own statement, finished off her lukewarm cup of coffee, reaching across the table to grab the other empty mug. The Before it could be reached, Gladys snatched it up and smirked. A finger was waved.

“Nope. You may be tenacious, but you’re also still sick. I think we can continue figuring out…whatever this is with us later, but I can see you shivering from here. I’ll clean up. You get back into bed. No buts.”

Chell had immediately opened her mouth to argue, but once it was pointed out, she did notice that she was shivering quite violently. The cold room was likely not doing any favors for her fever. So, with slight irritation, she resigned that battle and stood to move up to her bed.

She was stopped before she got far by a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she met eye contact with the slightly teller woman. An eyebrow was raised in curiosity.

“What? I thought you said I should go back t-“

Chells eyes shot open in shock and words died in her throat as Gladys leaned down, closing their height difference with a small kiss on her forehead. Even once Gladys moved away with the most satisfied smirk, Chell could only remain there, frozen in awe till she was gently pushed in the direction of their bedroom door. Chell stumbled back, staring as Gladys turned away to grab the mugs, not looking back at Chell. A quiet chuckle echoed out.

 

“There. NOW you can go get some rest. …You lunatic.”


	10. Chapter 10

“No.”

“Come on Chell.”

“We can’t keep a baby crow inside our dorm! Like I know the poor thing is injured-“

“THAT’S why we should keep it!”

“-But, we should take it to a shelter Gladys. It’s a wild animal and we’re in a college dorm. The RA’s will kill us and get us kicked out if they find it in here.”

Gladys let out a half-assed huff and held the crow chick closer to her chest, wrapping her hands around it in a protective manner. A small squeak came from the chick. Her golden eyes were glaring at Chell as if preparing to argue more to keep the baby crow.

“I’m naming him Mister Chubby Beak.”

“What kind of name is that?! I swear… We’ve been dating for like a month and I still don’t expect some of the things you say.”

“Good. Makes things interesting.”

“We’re not keeping him Gladys.”

“Yes we are.”

“No we’re not.”

“Yes. We are.”

“No we’re not.”

 

\---

 

They ended up keeping “Mister Chubby Beak”.

The thought of Gladys remaining back at the dorm with a small, helpless corvus was a strange image in her mind’s eye, but after a while of fighting against her girlfriend, she had accepted their new roommate. Gladys was too stubborn to convince otherwise. Chell was a persistent person, but it was too early in the morning for her to care enough.

So the crow was now a part of the family.

It was strange to think of them as a “family” now. Her and Gladys had been dating for a little over a month. While the start of their relationship had been bumpy, it was going strangely well. Gladys had turned out to be much more affectionate than she let on. It took some getting used to. Having the usually stoic woman come forward and kiss her before leaving for class left Chell a flustered mess in the room.

Overall, the relationship was going better than Chell had expected.

She honestly hadn’t known what to envision from the woman who had done nothing but insult her when they first met. A relationship between them could go well or very badly. Yet so far, it became clearer that they had so much more in common. Similar tastes in food. Interests in other languages. A deep love for science. Things they had known about one another already suddenly became more clear and prominent.

It had quickly become common knowledge that the “mute” was dating the valedictorian of the class.

Some people congratulated Chell on “catching such a big fish”.  Others made fun of their relationship, making jokes about both of them. A few actually respected that they were dating. Chell could ignore the jabs, but it was still rather irritating for people to prod her about her private life.

Even in class, the same group of people that always picked on her had just become a bigger thorn in her side. Each day, they grew more and more cocky. Saying nasty remarks to Chells face when Gladys wasn’t around. Talking down about the relationship despite it being one of the happiest things to happen to Chell this year. 

Today in particular though, the group that normally complained to her were abnormally quiet.

When she had entered her class, she caught sight of them chatting among themselves, but going quiet when she came into view. They had never been good news. Yet she didn’t bother with them. They made horrible remarks on a constant basis to her and she had grown to block them out. No point to paying attention to them when she knew their remarks weren’t true.

However, they never came up to her before or during class today.

After the lecture ended, Chell through her notebook into her bag and chatted with Dennis for a moment. The shorter man had been the one to catch her up in other classes after she had been sick. As well as getting Chell the notes, she found out he had gotten a job at a coffee shop in town. It seemed he became good friends with the other bartender, a man named Doug. It was always nice to catch up. Neither of them were big talkers, but they still enjoyed each other’s company.

Quiet, simple chats.

Once he left, she slung her bag over her shoulder and prepared to leave, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder. While everyone streamed out of the room, the group of five girls who normally picked on her were staying behind together. The head of their group was the one who prevented her from leaving and Chell only gave them a cold glare of distrust.

“…So, uh, Chell. It is Chell right? Of course it’s Chell, we all know who you are.”

The only response was a raised eyebrow and pursed lips as Chell waited for them to get on with it.

“….rrrrrright, Okay…look. Me and my friends- we all know how shitty we’ve treated you. Like SUPER badly. We’ve been in the same classes since freshman year and we all went to counseling the other day and they helped us through some stuff! So…we wanna make it up to you! You know, for all the shit we’ve done.”

She looked back at her friends who sat together. Two of them happily acknowledged that they were listening in and one of them looked off to the side to another, seeming almost nervous. The one beside Chell grinned and turned her attention back.

“So we bought you a cake! Couldn’t bring it into class OBVIOUSLY, I think that one kid who’s obsessed with cake would hoard the whole thing. So we left it at my dorm. You can come grab some right now since class is out! I don’t think you know where my dorm is.” There was a shake of the head to confirm that as true.

Chell was unsure whether to accept their “apology cake”. With how they had treated her these past few years up till this point, changing that quickly to be so friendly was rather suspicious. And very weird. Something felt off so she mentioned that she’d come by after dropping her stuff off at her dorm.

 

\---

 

“That sounds stupid. There’s no way those 5 changed.”

Gladys seemed unhappy about Chell accepting their little “apology invitation”, but Chell had already told them she’d meet up. She wasn’t too excited either.

“I don’t trust them any more than you do. But that’s why I came back here. I want you to come with me and stay outside in case you hear anything bad happen. I can make a signal or something.”

“Make a “caw” sound.”

“…you only want me to do that so I get attached to “Mister Chubby Beak”.

 

Gladys smirked and said nothing, turning around to fumble with her desk drawer. A moment later, she walked back and held out a small pocket knife. “I REALLY don’t trust them. They’ve been nothing but a pain in our asses since we met them. Just in case they try anything stupid, be prepared.”

“You want me to stab them?”

“With how big of a lunatic you are, you’ll probably draw plenty of blood.”

 

It was obvious Gladys was joking by the grin on her face, but Chell glared right at her, not finding the joke as humorous. She was passive aggressive. Not one to physically hurt people without good reason. Yet, just in case something did happen, the knife would be a good form of protection. It was stored in her back pocket.

After that, she headed out the door with Gladys a few steps behind.

The dorm that the girl had mentioned was on the top floor of the building towards the end of the hall. Up here, things were a bit louder since plenty of other students were having parties or hangouts in their dorms. Even the thick, soundproof walls couldn’t fully contain the noises of drunk college students. Chell glanced at her girlfriend who was waiting down the hall, before raising a fist to rap against the door. It took a few minutes, but the sound of shuffling inside showed that the room was not empty.

Finally, someone opened the door. It was one of the people from the group who had invited her. The name slipped out of Chells mind, but she recognized the other woman. Short, bright orange hair, usually very chatty. Yet right now, she was very quiet. Now that Chell thought about it, this person had been uncharacteristically silent earlier in the day too. Either it was an off day for this person, or Chells gut feeling about this being a bad decision was correct.

Silence stretched on for a minute, before the other girl coughed awkwardly and stepped aside. 

“H…Here. Sorry I was thinking for a sec. Come on in. I guess I’m not used to people I don’t know well being in my room.” Chell nodded. Before she stepped in, she took a final glance in Gladys’s direction before vanishing through the doorway.

The actual room was similar to her own, just a bit bigger to accompany four people instead of two. The kitchen was filled with various dirty dishes. Plenty piled up and clogged the sink while others towered on the counters. Boxes of cake mix sat empty nearby. That gave Chell slight peace of mind that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t going to be anything bad. Continuing through, she noticed that the blinds were closed and left the room to be illuminated by nothing more than a multicolored lamp in the corner beside a table. A cake rested on the table. Pieces had already been cut out and various plates were covered in crumbs. Must have already dug in.

Looking up, silver eyes glanced across 4 other people in the room. They were all sitting at various spots around the space, staring right back at her with a strange intensity. Even the girl who had walked in behind Chell was leaving a burning hole in the back of her head. While the idea of getting free cake sounded nice, the air was far too tense to feel comfortable. It was likely because they had been on such stressed terms in the past, but right now, something felt off.

 

And Chell always knew to trust her gut.

 

Walking forward, she waved awkwardly and one of them stood up.

“Hey there Chelly! You mind if I call you that? It sounds nicer than just Chell. Aaaaaanyway, we kinda already dug in so please help yourself to some! We also have some coffee or…tea? Do you drink tea? We have tea. Help yourself!” Her voice droned on, each word strangely high pitched and squeaky for the person it originated from. Yet the offer was finally out there.

Rather awkwardly, Chell grabbed the final empty plate and cut herself a slice from the cake. It wasn’t anything special. Just a small yellow cake with some sort of coconut frosting. It didn’t look half bad, but anything that was made from a box could really be good or terrible. It was a 50/50. The clean fork was snatched off the counter and she moved to pull herself off a chunk. Glancing up from her plate, another glance was given to the others.

Two of the girls had started chatting again- something about a hair salon in the shopping center nearby, one had gone to start cleaning up in the kitchen, and the other two just watched Chell intently. It wasn’t gazes of discomfort, but instead, they were looks of impatience. Chell had to move to the side to make herself feel more comfortable. With the air still heavy with nervousness, the move didn’t help much.

The slice of cake was okay. It was about what you’d expect from the stuff you’d make from a box. Not too fluffy, yet not firm enough either. It was a strange consistency as if they hadn’t added enough water or egg. The taste was normal, though it left a sour aftertaste on Chells tongue. At first, it was brushed off as her mouth not being set to want cake, but the longer she ate the slice, the more she realized something was genuinely off.

 

Then she gagged.

 

A hand shot to her mouth and the other set the plate down, much more violently than intended. Bile was swallowed, but it burned her esophagus and only made the urge to vomit stronger. Pain began to run through her chest and she staggered back. The cake hadn’t been normal.

 

It had been poisoned.

 

Looking around, Chell met eye contact with every single person in the dorm, trying to understand why. The head of their group looked smug and proud of what she had done. Two of them just seemed to be following along. The one cleaning was hidden from view and the one who had answered the door seemed upset. She had known and followed the script they had written, but she hadn’t liked it.

Coughing, Chell felt a painful urge to vomit, scrambling to a nearby trashcan and spitting out a mix of digested cake and blood. Everything was burning. From her fingertips to her feet, everything was reacting badly to whatever had been put in that batter. Quickly, she tried to run for the front door, only to be grabbed by one of them and thrown back and on to the ground. As she laid there, they circled her and enclosed her in a circle of onlookers. 

“Oh no. Where do you think you’re going? You’re going to stay here until we make sure that the poison has fully run its course. Luckily for us, you’re just a mute weirdo. No need to worry about you screaming for help.” The leader of the group who had offered Chell the cake peered down, a cruel grin plastered on her face.

Chell glared at them with cold eyes. She wished to call out for help, but when she opened her mouth to yell, blood was all that escaped. Yet she was not going to die here. Despite the panic was threatening to set in, Chell scrambled back to her feet. When she was nearly grabbed again, she instead pushed them away towards a wall where they hit it with a loud bang. It was so close. Just a few feet to the exit, but whatever she had eaten was catching up and she stumbled, collapsing beside the kitchen counter and throwing a bunch of dishes down with her.

Everything was getting hazy. Along with the burning and the urge to get everything out of her stomach, she was slowly blacking out. The door was right there. It’d be her last shot. 

Remembering what Gladys had given her, she reached into her back pocket to grab the small pocket knife. It was slowly opened out of view and clenched in one hand. This time, if they tried to stop her, she’d fight back.

Despite the world spinning, Chell scrambled to her feet and tried to finish running to the door a second time. Each step felt like an eternity and with the effects of what she had eaten being fresh, time only slowed down more. Her heart was beating quickly and leaving the sound of banging in her ears. Each breath was harsh. Quick. Even her mind was becoming foggier, but one thing rang clear as day. ‘You have to survive’. So she ran.

The moment she felt something grab at her, she spun around and brought the knife down. The sound of a screech of pain let her know that she had met the target, but the knife was ripped away from her grasp. Instead of attempting to get it back, the door was back to her main priority. A hand reached for the doorknob, fingers outstretched. They brushed it and-

 

Chell felt her own knife be jabbed into her back.

 

Despite her throat being raw from the poison and the bile, she screamed. It was unnaturally loud and pained. The sudden shock threw her off track and she stumbled and crumpled back to the ground, the knife protruding from where it sat under one of her shoulder blades. The world was spinning and grew hazier by the second. Her mind was screaming at her to get up. To keep going. Yet her body wouldn’t respond to what she was asking of it. All the poison and the pain had drained her of her energy.

She just wanted to sleep.

There was barely any reaction to the door suddenly bursting open in a shower of wood chips. The light from the hall streamed in over the tire floor and illuminated Chells exhausted face. She scarcely had enough energy to pull her eyes up to see who it was that had broken down the door. At the sight of Gladys illuminated by the hallways light, Chell croaked hoarsely, happy to see her girlfriend. The expression of pure rage on Gladys’s did not go unnoticed.

A hiss was let out as Chell felt the knife be ripped out of her back, though the burning was beginning to be replaced with a numb feeling. She could barely keep her attention on the conversation that began.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?! I will call security to get you expelled for bursting into this room!“ Plenty of unnecessary yelling from one of the girls who had invited Chell for cake. She had stepped in front of the Chell, blocking her from view. The yells continued, only to be cut off by Gladys.

“Oh, I don’t need to worry. You, on the other hand, should be very worried. You’re going to remain where you are until the police get here. I look forward to seeing you behind bars for the rest of your miserable existence.” Gladys’s voice was cool, sharp and anything but happy.

 

At what she said, the lead girl who had grabbed the knife yelled in rage and ran at Gladys, slashing back and forth at her to try and at least injure her. It went back and forth for a minute. Gladys dodging and hitting when she could to throw the attacker back. The attacking woman slashing and aiming for easy to hit targets. All the while, Chell was going in and out of it, trying to focus back on the fight.

Yet Gladys had one problem. She was outnumbered. One of the girls who had been standing by, ran forward and tripped Gladys up. Only once the white-haired woman was on her knees was when the knife was brought back down.

Gladys looked up right as it came at her.

A shriek of agony was let out as the knife ran down her face and across her left eye, leaving a line of thick blood cascading down her face. Hands pushed out to get the attacker away before she moved to cover the injury with pained yells. The successful attack only seemed to overjoy the other girl. She ripped the knife back towards her, raising it with a cry of victory.

 

“HAH! YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD WIN THIS BATTLE?! WE HAD THIS PLANNED! EVEN YOUR PATHETIC LOVE FOR HER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING FOR YOU, PITIFUL BITCH!”

 

The head girl continued to laugh, though none of the others laughed with her. They had expected one murder attempt, but to injure another student and to have the cops already be called created a nervous air. One of them was panicking while another moved forward to try and calm the laughing girl down. A hand was raised to grab her shoulder, but was pulled back when the knife was slashed down. The lead girl turned her back to the door and glared at the rest of the group.

 

“DON’T. TOUCH ME.”

“B-but, we need to go. S-she said the police were coming. We c-can’t be here w-when they get here!”

“Oh, shut up! That bitch probably just said that to freak us out. No one’s coming. We’ll stick to plan. Just give it a minute and we can kill the white-haired fucker too and continue as we were going to originally.”

 

The other four girls took steps back out of fear of their crazed leader. Yet, at the sight of something that they saw at the door behind the lead girl, their distress only grew. The leader only scoffed at their fear and spun around on her heel. At first, she had the knife ready to strike down on Gladys who was still sitting there with her hands clutching at her eye in pain, but then she finally noticed what her friends had seen.

The police were there. Multiple officers gazed in with disgusted looks and guns raised at what they were seeing. A messy room, two injured people collapsed on the floor, and a girl with a bloody knife. One of the officers told her to put the knife down and after a few minutes of talking, the girl was finally pushed up against the wall with the knife out of reach of everyone.

In seconds, the other four girls were up against the wall with hands chained behind their backs while paramedics ran in to grab Chell and Gladys. Gladys wasn’t in as bad of shape, but her eye was not doing well. She was led down the stairs gently by a woman while two other people put Chell onto a stretcher and rolled her out. By the time she was down in the ambulance, she had passed out. Each breath was shallow and her face was pale. She had held out so far, but she wasn’t faring well.

 

\---

 

It was a quick drive to the hospital to stabilize both Chell and patch up Gladys’s injury. The whole time that Chell was in the ER, Gladys was sitting in the waiting room. Her entire eye had been patched up with bandages, though it didn’t stop the stinging feeling. While Gladys sat there, various people came up to ask questions about what happened, though most of the information was fairly limited from Gladys. Chell could answer more, but she was still passed out and unavailable to the public.

Once Chell was finally out of the ER and in a room, Gladys made her way to the room in question. It was a small room with one window, one bed, and enough expensive equipment to pay for college tuition. Striding over, Gladys looked down at the other woman sadly. Chell wasn’t awake, but compared to earlier when she had been on the floor with a mouth stained with blood and a knife in her back, she didn’t look bad.

After striding around the room to see what was in there, she grabbed a chair and slid it up to the edge of the bed. It had been a long day. Class ended at 6 and Chell had gone to their room around 6:30 for cake. Yet after the events of the fight and getting to the hospital, time had flown by. The clock on the wall read 10. Despite her exhaustion, Gladys didn’t plan on going anywhere else. A quick text was sent to Caroline about what was going on and that she’d call tomorrow. It was too late to talk.

 

After that, Gladys sat down, grabbed Chells hand, and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait between this chapter and the last. I ran out of steam for awhile, but now I'm feeling up to the task of writing this again. Look forward to more coming soon!


	11. Chapter 11

Chell was lucky to survive what happened, but the poison definitely took its toll on her. She was in and out of consciousness, constantly flickering between reality to the clutches of sleep. Doctors were on constant watch. So was Gladys.

Months prior to this, Gladys wouldn’t have cared as much about the wellbeing of the messy-haired lunatic. If anything, she would have shrugged at the news of her lunatic roommate being poisoned and said that it had been expected news. Yet, that wasn’t what happened. Gladys actually cared for Chell, despite that love being hidden from others. It felt so unnatural to care for someone else other than her sister. But, despite the strangeness of their relationship, Gladys did care. One way or another.

Right after Gladys and Chell had got settled into the hospital, one text had been sent out to Caroline.

[ _ Gladys:  _ Too late to call. Exhausted. Stuff happened and me and Chell are in the hospital. We’ll be ok.]

Gladys knew that Caroline would be panicking at such a convoluted text. When Gladys woke up from her seat beside Chells bed the next morning, she knew what she’d find on her phone. Her single eye turned to the cell nearby. The only reaction once the screen turned on was a tired sigh.

[16 Missed Calls]   
[5 Texts from: Caroline]

With an exhausted sigh, the phone was snatched from the table and the texts were opened. The first ones were from the night before, but the last one was recent, within the last hour.

[ _ Caroline: _ What do you mean you’re in the hospital?! What happened?]   
[ _ Caroline:  _ Gladys are you there?! Please answer]   
[ _ Caroline: _ I just saw the news I swear to god if you do not pick up your phone. Why on earth did they do that?! They STABBED you in the eye?! Call me back when you see this message.]   
[ _ Caroline: _ Please, Gladys I’m really worried for you.]   
[ _ Caroline: _ I’m coming to the hospital what room are you.]

Gladys pinched the bridge of her nose at how panicked her sister was. The other woman had ever right to be, being the older sibling, but Gladys didn’t realize in her exhausted state last night just how freaked out Caroline would be. It was just another scar to the collection. Gladys would admit though that the loss of her left eye freaked her out more than she expected.

Finally, she texted back Caroline which room they were in and minutes later, the woman burst through the door and booked it for Gladys. A couple nurses followed her in, but relaxed when they saw that Caroline was just hugging Gladys, not pulling out IV’s or messing with anything. If anything, they just wanted to make sure the brown haired woman didn’t hurt Gladys in her embrace.

“I swear to everything that is holy on this planet, don’t you dare EVER do this again! Oh god, your eye…” Caroline moved back to look at the bandage over where Gladys’s eye had once been. After that, it was a quick scan for other injuries, all while grumbling under her breath. The expression she held was a strange mix of irritation, worry and relief. After a few minutes of being checked over, Caroline pulled away from her sister and looked at the woman in the bed. “How is Chell doing?”

“...Better, but they don’t know when she’ll wake up. She took a lot of trauma.”

“So I heard. I can’t believe some people are petty enough to try murdering someone in their own dorm room. Poisoned cake? That’s just cruel. ...I… I don’t want you going back to your dorm for a few days. The police are doing an investigation and clean-up, but I worry about you being there. They...stabbed your eye!”

Caroline turned to look at Gladys, two anxious brown eyes meeting with the single gold one. Just the temporary locked gaze told Gladys enough about how Caroline felt. Seeing on the news about an attempted murder. Two people injured and five arrested. The woman had every right to be worried about them after that.

“Caroline, we’ll be oka-”

“I want you to move to Aperture.”

Gladys stopped in her tracks, looking at her sister with shock at the sudden subject. “You want...WHAT?” Aperture Science was a facility only a couple of miles away, but it was top-secret and only volunteers and employees could have housing there. Gladys KNEW Cave Johnson personally, but she still wasn’t someone who worked there.

“I want you and Chell to move into Aperture. Cave has been planning on hiring you since he knows you. I talked with him. He’d love to have you and Chell come live in the faculty quarters at the facility as long as you’d accept his job offer once you’re done with school. Same for to Chell. ...I’d feel much better if you two didn’t live at the school anymore. Not after what happened.”

“...C-Caroline are you sure?”

Caroline looked Gladys straight in the eye, pursing her lips. “I am not going to let you get any more damned scars.  _ They gave you too many to begin with _ . You don’t need more.”

There was a moment of silence as the conversation ended, Gladys turning away to look at her unconscious partner nearby. A somber look was plastered to her face. Caroline did the same, but continued after a moment.

“...You said she saw your scars, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Did you tell her how you got them?”   
“I told her that stupid lie you came up with, about them being surgery scars and that I was a sick kid. ...Well I guess it’s not entirely a lie. After all this though, I don’t think I want to tell her.”   
“...She’s your partner. You may have to.”

Gladys shrugged and walked past Caroline to sit back in the chair beside the bed. It seemed that this time, she was ending the conversation for good.

\-----

Chell had woken up slightly when Caroline came in, though she only caught snippets of their short conversation before falling back asleep. Something about Aperture living quarters and Gladys’s scars. If she had been fully aware of what was going on, she’d ask later, but it was nothing more than a hazy memory when she finally woke up fully.

Groaning, Chell cracked open her eyes to a dark room. The only sources of light were cold light from the window and a harsh line from the crack under the door. From what she could tell, she was alone. Despite her aching muscles and body’s complaints about her moving, Chell forced herself into a sitting position, looking around where she was.

Hospital room. She quickly ran over what had happened leading up to this moment, her mind being jumbled after sleeping for an unknown period of time. Poison cake. Fighting back. Knife in the back. Knife… “GLADYS WAS STABBED.” Chell croaked, hissing at how the words stung her throat. Remembering what happened to her girlfriend and feeling a wave of terror wash over her at the memory. Seeing the pocket knife be thrust down and a splash of blood appear from Gladys’s eye socket. 

Despite her injuries and exhaustion, Chell forced herself to stand up. She certainly couldn’t go too quickly, but she grabbed the IV stand and used it to balance her as she hurried to the door. It was flung open and a free hand shot up as she was temporarily blinded by harsh fluorescent bulbs. A nearby nurse was ignored. Looking around, she started hurrying down the hallway, looking at nameplates beside each of the rooms for any that said “Gladys” on them. She only sped up as the sound of pursuing footsteps came from behind her.

She knew that she was injured and doctors just wanted to get her back to her room, but she wanted to find her companion. Make sure she was okay. She couldn’t remember what happened after Gladys was stabbed, but Chell had to be sure.

Scrambling down the hall, she swerved into a lobby, pressing herself against the wall for balance. Footsteps came up behind her and silver eyes glanced back to see a doctor. He smiled gently and took a step towards her. Chell took a step back.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but you need to return to your room.”

She didn’t respond with any words, not wanting to waste time. Instead, she turned back away from him and started walking again, only to stumble after a few feet and collapse on the ground. It was irritating to know she was being surrounded by various nurses and doctors who were going to take her back to her room. If anything, she felt like a trapped animal. Cornered on all sides. If she had been thinking straight, she would have just asked them where Gladys was taken after the incident and if she was okay. Yet her brain was still scrambled and seeing that she was surrounded didn’t help her calm down. After scrambling to her feet, with help from the people around her, she tried to push past them only to be stopped by various hands.

“Ma’am, come on. You need to go back to your room.”

“Please, we’re just trying to help you.”

“Be careful with your IV’s please.”

She eventually pulled away from them only to hiss in irritation as another set of footsteps rushed in her direction. Her eyes turned up to glare at whoever was approaching, but quickly softened as she saw Gladys booking it across the lobby to get to Chell, Caroline close behind. Gladys’s expression was exasperated at seeing what Chell was doing. Once she got there, Chell moved to hug her to the best of her ability. The AI stand was pushed to the side and Chell hugged Gladys as tightly as she could manage. Finally, Glady hugged her in return, the taller woman giving Chell a kiss on the top of her head.

“...Nice to see you too, you lunatic.”

Pulling away, Gladys snapped in mild irritation. “Now , why are you out here?! You need to get back to your room what the hell were you thinking, running out of y-” Yet just as quickly as she had started talking, she stopped when Chell moved to gingerly touch the bandages on the eye with a frown. It was only a momentary touch since the doctors quickly pulled Chell away to lead her back to her room, but it was still a sad moment of connection. The loss of a part of her, yet the thought that they both survived the struggles. Chells hand returned to her side and she let herself be led away, knowing Gladys would follow close behind.

Only once Chell was back in her room and had her vitals checked was Gladys allowed in. Even as the white-haired woman approached the bedside, people streamed in and out, marking things on clipboards and messing with the machines.

“How are you feeling Chell?”

There was silence as Chell opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again, deciding otherwise. The poison had singed the sides of her throat and talking hurt badly. Instead, she decided to answer the question with a single movement. A thumbs down.

“Not great huh… Well you’ve been out for awhile.”

Waiting for a doctor to pass by, Chell signed a few words. ‘ _ How long?’ _

“Uh… Four…? Yeah, four days.”

_ ‘Four?!’ _

“Yeah. You were not faring well either. You stabilized after the first day in here, but me and Caroline were getting worried when you didn’t wake up. The poison must have taken a bigger toll than we thought. Doctors said you’d be fine with time though.”

Chell looked down, her hands clenching the white sheets that covered her legs. She remembered passing out from mental and physical stress, but being unconscious for four days was more than she realized. It certainly explained her grogginess. She was about to respond, but a loud growl interrupted her and her hands slowly lowered in embarrassment. Four days also meant that she was starving. Gladys laughed in response to that. 

“Let me go grab you something. You won’t be able to eat a lot, just a clear liquid diet till your throat heals up. You can chat with Caroline. She’s been coming to visit you.” A glance at the table on the other side of the room was given. A vase filled with small purple flowers sat on the side table “She keeps bringing Geraniums. I know they meant something, but you’ll have to ask her.”    
“They mean determination Gladys. I brought them to help Chell get through all this and to stay determined despite her injuries.”

Caroline had appeared behind Gladys, leaning over the other woman with a smirk. The two sisters looked at each other, Caroline quietly chuckling as Gladys snapped in mild irritation. Yet it wasn’t like that for long. A quick goodbye was uttered as Gladys swung out of the room and Caroline took the woman's place, sitting in a chair beside the bed. A very gentle smile was shot in Chells direction and brought a wave of peace. Yet, after a moment of thought, Chell couldn’t help but recall something she thought she heard when asleep. Looking up, she caught Caroline’s eyes and signed a question.

_ ‘Were you and Gladys talking about Aperture and her scars when I was out? I remember hearing something like that.’  _

Caroline didn’t seem surprised by the topic and nodded to confirm. Quickly, she caught Chell up on the living situation and about moving to Aperture Laboratories. It was a bit of a shock to hear that along with a new place to live, there would also be a job offer after college. Chell was ecstatic about that. Aperture was the head of the scientific world. Their works and projects were renowned for being top-notch. The fact that the CEO was inviting them directly into his facility was incredible. The huge grin that was plastered on Chells face was enough of an answer to her wanting to live there. It’d be better there than at the dorms which were cramped, too hot or too cold, and rather dangerous. 

“Well, I’m going to take your expression as a “yes”. I’m very glad you’ll be joining us! We have a room ready for you and Gladys so once you’re out of the hospital. I can arrange for your things to be transported while you’re still here though, if you’d like that.”

There was a nod, both to signify that having her stuff moved for her would be fantastic, and out of gratitude to Caroline. After that though, she waited for the other part of her question to be answered. She had heard two things. Something about moving to Aperture, and something about Gladys’s scars. There was no reason for it to have been brought up, but Chell had heard one part of it and wasn’t about to let it go. “ **_They gave you too many to begin with.”_ **

Caroline, realizing what Chell wanted, let out a more tired sigh. “Chell, it’s not my place to tell you about that. Gladys...did tell you about her sca-”

‘ _ I heard her say it was a lie.’ _

“Woke up at the perfect time then, didn’t you. Well- I- ...Look, you are going to have to ask her. I may know about those scars and how she got them, but it’s not my place to go telling why. You’re her partner. Ask her once you’re in a private space and she should tell you.”

_ ‘What if she doesn’t?’ _

“...THEN you can come talk to me. Till then though, my lips are sealed.”

When Gladys walked back in with a few cups on hand, Caroline went quiet and it was obvious that conversation was over.

 

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm happy to say that I'm working on this fic much more often and I'm super excited to keep updating.
> 
> However, if you want some more 10/10 ChellDOS, please check out The Resurrection Project! It's a wonderful ChellDOS, post-Portal 2 fic that my friend SarcasticGayPotato wrote. It just finished recently, but if you're looking for a fantastic read, please check it out!  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/11076066/chapters/24703920


	12. Update (June 11, 2018)

Update on this fic.

This fic is going onto indefinite hiatus. I love this fic and the rp that this fic is based off of, but I'm out of motivation to continue. The amount of feedback just feels very small and I barely have enough drive to keep working on this. I want to continue, but right now, I don't know if I can. 

Thank you guys so much for the support you've given me. I've read every comment and it's made me so happy to see you guys enjoy what I write. Maybe at some point, I'll start this back up, but until then, this is going to be put on hold.

Thank you.


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